


If I’m here to save you, I’ll be here forever.

by Imthetrashwriter



Series: Trash Writer's sbi fics [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted siblings technically, Angst, Blood and Gore, Family Dynamics, Fights, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Mafia AU, Protective Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Wilbur Soot, Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, They/Them Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Violence, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade are Siblings, but shush, from time to time, how tf do tags work, injuries, tags will update as the story goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:14:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29202693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imthetrashwriter/pseuds/Imthetrashwriter
Summary: Tommyinnit as been no stranger to crime, being found off the streets by a small gang and forced to do the petty work. Getting hurt when he does something wrong. There was no happy families, there were no smiles, nothing for Tommy to grasp onto someone. He still wants to live though.So what happens when one night, the gang that took him and forced him to do all the bad things was taken down, by a group with only power and fear under their names. Who would have thought that they all just are a big family that cares about each other?or;The Mafia AU that no one asked for by someone who has no idea how the hell a Mafia works, but I try my best.Also join the discord for updates because AO3 is slow sometimes, also great way to give me suggestions and advice!https://discord.gg/eeSgcAEdWd
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Eret, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & Tommyinnit & Phil Watson, No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: Trash Writer's sbi fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152443
Comments: 44
Kudos: 599





	1. Here you go again, pretending like you love me.

_Tommy was confused_

"Technoblade give it back you fucker!"

_He should be scared, being in a house surrounded by members of the most powerful crime family, people that could kill him with a simple look or order_

"Can't make me!"

_Not even 24 hours have passed since the bloodbath that Tommy had to witness, caused by them, and here they are_

"I'm going to tell dad that you took my pancakes!" 

_the two children of the major crime boss, Phil, fighting over pancakes._

"He's not even home you dumbass!"

_There were a lot of crashes and shouting that morning, the same crashes and shouting that would be scaring the 12-year-old Tommy if he didn't know that the two were fighting over something simple as food, and their body language at the time didn't seem to say that they were going to kill each other, right?_

"I hate you so much."

"You say that Wil, but then in a couple of hours I'll find you in my room for advice on stupid things."

_How did Tommy get into that situation? Being in a house with two brothers fighting over food? Well, let's rewind, shall we?_

\-----------------------

Shaking in fear and due to the cold weather, Tommy was in his room if you could even call it that. It was a closet with a raggy mattress and a few things that he has kept over time to entertain himself—for instance, a pair of earbuds that he had stolen out of a trashcan. He had a small iPod that still barely worked, and the earbuds were hard to figure out if you were using them for the first time. He was listening to soft tunes to try and calm himself down after what happened earlier.

Don, the tiny gang leader, had gotten mad at Tommy for not getting enough info on an enemy they had. When Don gets mad, Tommy usually has to be in his room for the next hour or so trying to treat the wounds and bruises inflicted on him, mostly by Don or by another member. Everyone found Tommy as their punching bag if he was in sight. Tommy thought that this is how kids that were taken off the streets were usually treated. He was lucky to have a place to stay, and since he wasn't doing the right thing, he needed to be punished. Tommy usually got a bruised rib or a gash from a broken bottle of alcohol of some sorts.

This night, it had gotten awful. Tommy was bleeding all over, and he could feel the bruises starting to pop onto his skin. He was already weak from the small amount of food he got daily, so his body barley had enough energy to heal itself, it could barely keep itself awake at that point. Tommy had no power to try to fix the wounds up with the dirty first-aid kit he had snatched one night. There were barely any more things left, so he would have to wait until it was a grave situation. For now, all he did was try and sleep early, hoping to get some more hours before his early waking and work. Little did he know, there was no more work the child had to do.

Waking up to crashing and bloodcurdling screams still scared Tommy after all these years, hell, being near one of the people that would hurt him always made him cringe. Even with it so regular to Tommy, it always made the fear in him bubble up. So when he heard screaming from downstairs, he shot up and crumbled against the wall. While his brain did its best to convince the child that it was just a typical night of some members messing around, his gut told him to scrunch up against the wall because something was _not_ normal. The screams sounded like they were in more pain than normal, and there were no laughs accompanied by them. So what was wrong this time? Did he really have to check? 

Tommy swallowed the anxiety and peeked his head out the door, peaking downstairs to see nothing but fresh blood and bodies. Blood was common but _this much?_ It was worrying. Tommy scanned one of the bodies that he could see with the small vision of being on a similar floor. It was one of the gang members, and there was now another by him—both with bleeding wounds that made Tommy almost throw up if he had eaten anything to even throw up in the first place. He had flung himself back into that room, sliding behind the mattress that definitely did not hide him well. He would still hear the screams and the gunshots, and everything happening downstairs. Tommy felt like _he_ was down there, standing there while everyone he had grown up with ever since he was small, was dying. He could tell by their screams that the enemy was not the one falling. All Tommy tried to do was hope that they didn't come into the room he was in and kill him. He just sat behind that flimsy mattress and hoped, even when he has never had anything to hope for.

Tommy could remember everything about that night in vivid detail. Still, the one thing that will forever be the one detail that he always heard when recalling the memory, was hearing Don's pleas for mercy, before a gunshot, and then there were no more pleas. Was Don really dead? The one person that never got scared, the person that only knew how to cause pain, was he really dead? This must be a dream. There's no way that the person that made Tommy cry all the time, and the person that killed so many people, was on the floor with his other gang members. There were no more noises, shouting, screams, and no more guns, just silence. All there was down, there was muffled talking, but no recognizable words and the voices were pretty hushed.

All Tommy did now was cover his ears, close his eyes, and go into a ball and cry. He didn't want to die. He was so young, and even though he had been abused and witness so much a child didn't have to, he still wanted to live, to be _happy._ Was he not going to have that? Was he really doomed? Was the enemy here because they found Tommy snooping? Was it Tommy's fault they were all dead? His breathing got more and more shallow, and his shaking was uncontrollable. The worst? His body had now decided that crying was the best thing to do, while killers were in this small building to kill him if he even went in sight of them. He tried to cover his mouth to stop the loud sobbing noise, it only caused it to be somewhat muffled, but he hoped that no one downstairs could hear it.

Unfortunately, life had worse plans for Tommy instead of having the child sit in the room for who knows how long. Tommy tensed when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He tried to become smaller and smaller, maybe then they would leave him alone to continue to live this hell of a life. He could grow up, make maybe one friend, and just live happily.

Life had other plans when Tommy heard the door slam open.

\-----------------------

Relief washed down on Wilbur, Techno, and Phil once it was all over. They all knew they would leave the place wining. The reason why they had just wiped out an entire gang? Well, the boss, Don Harley, had been doing a lot of murder and extortion to innocent people, something the three did not go by. Phil sighed and looked around the room soaked in blood, seeing a pink-haired female poking her head from behind a wall, seeing if the coast was clear.

"Is there anyone left Nikki? Anyone you think that would be hiding from us?" Phil asked, his voice firm and cold as people always expected someone with a reputation like him to have. The woman, Nikki, who had been spying for the family, shook her head as she stepped over the bodies and blood.

"No, it was a small group, and everyone was dedicated to helping the leader until he went down. This is everyone."

"Ah, good." Phil's voice softened, and he relaxed his shoulders with a sigh. The male looked around the old building, the chipping paint, the faded walls, everything was just so run down, which was the norm for a life like this.

"Can you check for anything upstairs Techno?" Phil turned to his son, who nodded with a gruff agreement and kept his steady walk as he made his way up.

"But Nikki said everyone was dead? Why is he going up there?" Wilbur asked his father, who shrugged as he waited for his other son.

"You never know what we could find here, maybe there is another person in hiding."

The three downstairs shrugged and waiting for Techno to sweep upstairs to make sure that they were in the clear. They all waited patiently but did want the other to hurry up. One of the other members, Luna, was treating them to a nice dinner at her own diner, and everyone loved her cooking. In fact, it was what most of them were thinking about during the slaughter.

"Uh, dad?!" Everyone could hear the shouting of Techno and tensed up, there was work for them to do still, which mostly annoyed the three, who just wanted a late dinner.

"What's up?"

"There's...a child up here...I don't know how to help..he's um....freaking out..."

Everyone looked at Nikki for answers, who looked confused and worried. She had heard of a kid named Tommy from time to time while she was there, but she always thought that he was one of the members' brothers that helped, and _not_ a scared and hiding member.

They all rushed up the stairs and looked at Techno, who gestured inside of a small room, showing the small child shaking and crying. He was definitely scared, and the three men covered in blood would not help out with the fear. Fortunately, Nikki was left clean and would most likely be the easiest to approach the small child. Which she did, she softly walked up to the shaking blonde kid and tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but all he did was flinch and start to mumble.

"Please don't hurt me.....pleasedontkillme......Iwonttellanyoneyouwerehere.....just, please.....Iwanttolive..."

Nikki could feel her heart ache as she sat on her knees in front of the child and started to speak lowly and kindly.

"We aren't going to hurt you, it's ok, you are going to be ok. Try to breathe with me."

The kid, Tommy most likely, was still shaking but started to lift his head from his knees to look at Nikki, who kept a small smile on her face.

"Just take deep breaths with me, breathe in your nose for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, and out for 8 seconds. We can do it together, ok?"

The kid started to breathe with Nikki, but his sobs and fear made it harder and harder. Nikki kept doing the exercise with him and kept comforting the child. She wasn't the best with children, that was Luna's job, but at least she wasn't bad like Dream or Sapnap. Wilbur and Phil would have also helped, but they knew that it would most likely overwhelm the child.

It took a couple minutes, but Nikki managed to have Tommy breathing deeply, and his sobs stopped. He was still shaking, but it was reduced. Nikki even managed to pick up the child, who was tense in her grip but didn't struggle. Tommy turned his eyes away from the walls and turned his body into Nikki, letting her comforting warmth try and ease him for the time. He didn't know that the other three were there with Nikki. He only found out when Nikki had gotten into the car with the other three and Tommy had opened his eyes for once and saw the three, covered in blood and with angered expressions. Nikki herself also looked angry, betraying the kind look she had given Tommy earlier. This made him tense up and shake more, still in Nikki's grip because he was in the middle seat and Nikki was still holding onto him. When she felt the shaking and worsen, she started to rub comforting circles into Tommy's back, putting her kind look back on. Tommy didn't see it though, he was too busy shaking and trying to come up with a way to not die, to not get on the bad side of this group. He was so tired, though, he was missing out on his little bit of sleep, and the shaking and fear were only draining him more and more. He was trying to stay awake though, but Nikki comforting him was only making it harder and harder to stay awake, he didn't even remember falling asleep.

\-----------------------

Nikki felt the child start to ease up and sighed, making sure Tommy was asleep before scolding the three.

"You three need to make sure you don't wear those angry looks around him. He's going to be even more scared of you idiots."

Wilbur, who was sitting in the front, softened his look and looked back at Tommy's sleeping body, looking at how skinny he was and how many visible bruises he cringed and looked back at the road, sighing.

"What are we going to do with him? We can't just leave him on the streets, would we put him in foster care?"

Phil thought for a moment, his eyes thinking for a moment before saying his idea, even though he knew what he was going to do with the child the moment he saw him.

"We have extra room at home, I already have to deal with you two, I think I could handle another person in the house."

Everyone gaped at the statement, except Techno, who knew that this was the intentions from the start. Techno has been with Phil for so long that he could feel the other's choices here and then. No one said anything, the silence meant that no one had any issues with it. Everyone knew this because if one of them disagreed, they would say something instantly.

"I thought you were going to be done with Tech and me; apparently you don't love us anymore, I'm so hurt," Wilbur made a dramatic performance which only ended in laughter. He knew that it was never the case that Phil would ever stop loving him. In fact, Wilbur actually would want another person in the house to mess around with, maybe he could be the cool older brother. Wilbur is the oldest, by a couple of minutes apparently, but Techno always acted older, which meant Wilbur couldn't act the way he wanted. Wilbur turned back to Nikki, "his name is Tommy, right?"

Nikki shrugged softly, "I never got to hear much about him, they always said what he did, but never described him. My gut is telling me that it is him, though."

"Wait, you guys are just ok with having him living with us now? Like as in, him being like a brother to you guys?" Phil asked, it certainly wasn't the reaction he had expected from his sons and Nikki, who felt like a niece to him, but it definitely made him happy that there would be no objections.

"Wilbur is probably going to get attached to him and stop clinging onto me when something happens and breaks his fragile heart," Techno shrugged, leaving a scoff from Wilbur.

"I _trusted_ you to be able to comfort me Tech, you hurt me."

"Mhm, yeah, totally. In all honesty, I don't mind. Tommy doesn't seem like he would hurt us, seems like a good kid and all. As long as he doesn't bother me-"

"Techno is going to get attached to him too quickly, you think I'm clingy?"

"Am not!"

"Uh, huh, what happened last night?"

"Oh, you little shit!"

The two started bickering and the two in the car that weren't arguing just chuckled and Phil looked at the time and started asking Nikki something.

"Can you tell Luna that we won't be able to make it to dinner tonight and we would have to do it tomorrow? I want to focus on treating his wounds and make sure he is going to get somewhat comfortable. Of course, he's most likely going to be scared of us all, you are the one that he seems the most comfortable with, so I have to ask you to stay with us for a bit just to help him."

Nikki looked at Tommy and smiled brightly with a nod, "can I bake there? I love your kitchen so much, and it's the best place, besides Luna's diner."

"Of course you can bake, you are always welcome to do what you want, as long as you are breaking anything on purpose. I am a huge fan of your sweets, and the boys definitely like them."

Wilbur stopped his arguing for a moment and swung back to Nikki, his eyes sparkling with joy, "wait you are going to bake something?!" This stopped Techno in his tracks at well, both were now staring at Nikki who shrugged.

"Maybe if you two shut up before you wake up Tommy, I will give you something," Nikki rolled her eyes before pulling out her phone and sending a message to Luna, apologizing for the late notice.

"She understood and actually had something come up tonight, so she says tomorrow would be a better option and wishes the best recovery for Tommy."

After that, the car sat in silence, Phil focusing on the road, Techno and Wilbur playing a game on their phones, most likely against each other as there were short curses and smirks coming from each other. Nikki was just humming to the music playing in her headphones, and of course, Tommy was asleep. It was peaceful, well as peaceful as they could get.

"Can you two clear out the room next to Techno's once we get back, and plan to go out shopping tomorrow," Phil spoke to mostly Techno and Wilbur, but he knew Nikki would be willing to help if she wanted to. The three made a noise that basically said 'yes' and went back to their little entertainment.

The drive was not too long, and soon enough, they pulled into the big house. It may look small on the outside, but it is enormous on the inside. There were many rooms inside, and the living room and kitchen could be an entire house by their size. It was the perfect spot for the group to all meet up there, and it had enough guest rooms to house the whole crime family, which isn't as big as others may think. There was Phil, Wilbur, Techno, Nikki, Luna, Dream, Sapnap, and George, all having their respective rooms, with extra space, now going to be occupied by Tommy. The moment they got home, Techno and Wilbur did what they were asked to do and went to make sure the one room was perfect, while Nikki attempted to get out of the car without waking the said sleeping Tommy. She succeeded and just sat on the oversized and very comfortable couch, she wouldn't be able to get the kid to stop clinging onto her, so she waited until everything was set up. Phil came by soon with the first aid kit, and they did their best to patch Tommy up without any problems. There were some wounds that they would have to take care of in the morning, but all the more grave things were taken care of quickly. Bandages were covering the child at this point, too many for comfort. Nikki could only feel sympathy for him as she sighed and let the child sleep in her arms.

Everyone soon mingled back into the living room, everything set up and ready for Tommy to sleep there. It was now up to Nikki to transfer him to the bed without waking him up. Nikki moved slowly, hoping that the kid was tired enough to not stir once. Thankfully, her hopes came true as she was able to tuck him into the bed with no problems, she looked at Tommy once with sad eyes. She left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her and slowly going downstairs, and was handed a mug with hot chocolate in it by Wilbur, who then went to sit back down on the couch with everyone.

"So, we go to kill a small gang and come back with a child that dad is now calling his own?" Techno tiredly asked, receiving shrugs from the others. 

"I mean, that's how it happened with you and Wil, so I'm not too surprised at this point, and I never said he was my child, I said that he would be like a brother to you all, well, only if he wants it," Phil shrugs, "it will take time for him to warm up to us, but I'm sure it is possible."

"With swaying statements like that, he's going to think that you kidnapped him," Nikki sipped her drink, leaving Techno and Wilbur to laugh, and Phil to sheepishly smile.

"Well, good job tonight everyone, while it didn't go _as planned_ , it definitely was successful I would say, finally got that fucker and his gang down once and for all."

Everyone gave a small cheer as they all finished their drinks one by one, putting them in the sink for whichever unlucky person, most likely Techno, to clean them out and put them away.

"I'm heading off to bed, I want all of you to at least try to get some decent sleep in after tonight if anything with Tommy and that wakes you up, let me know immediately."

Everyone gave noises of affirmations, and they went up to their respective rooms, Nikki taking one of the guest rooms that she claimed to be her own. She had her own place, of course, but it was too late out, and she really didn't want to drive back and forth. At least it was peaceful for now.

\-----------------------

Nikki grumbled at the two to for having so much energy on around 3 hours of sleep. She looked over at Tommy as she placed his plate of food down, it wasn't much, just some bacon and 3 pancakes. Tommy looked at her cautiously and looked back at the food with confusion.

"Something you don't like? Do you want me to make you something else?" Nikki tilted her head at the other as she placed her own plate on the table, setting out the syrup and other small things. Tommy looked back at Nikki.

"Wait? This is my food..? Like...I can eat it?"

Nikki's face softened. The poor kid, having to ask if the food was allowed for him to eat, really shows a bit of what he went through. Nikki just put on a smile and nodded.

"Yep, all yours. I would start eating it fast though, one of those two idiots might take your food," Nikki joked before taking a bite out of her own food and watching the two brothers argue with each other. Tommy just poked at his food. He still wasn't eating, and that was making Nikki worried.

"Is there something wrong with it? Is the bacon burnt?"

Tommy quickly shook his head before shrinking, admitting why he wasn't eating the food.

"I just.....I'm not hungry....." It was a total lie, you could quickly tell by the stomach grumbles and his quick glances to the food like he wanted it, but he also seemed to be eyeing it for anything wrong. At that moment, Nikki realized what was up and sighed.

"If you are worried that it is poison or something like that, you shouldn't, poison isn't even my strong suit. I can assure you that it is perfectly safe, I could even take a bite out of it if you want proof."

Tommy replied with a quick shake of his head as he continued to watch his food. He didn't fully believe Nikki, and it showed. Of course, Nikki knew that trust wasn't there and would have to be built up from the ground.

"Want me to get Wilbur to take a bite out of it to make sure it's not poison?" Nikki finally said, being patient and kind with Tommy. Tommy looked at her and took a deep breath before taking a small bite out of the pancakes. You could tell the moment he knew it was safe, his eyes sparkled, and he went to take another bite. His eating was slow, but he was still eating, and that made Nikki happy. In fact, Wilbur and Techno had stopped their little arguing when they saw Tommy eating, and they sat back down at the table, staying silent and both trying to hide their smiles. The four in the room knew all together that this would be an exciting new member to their...unique...family.


	2. People Change Like the Tides in the Ocean (At least I think or am I dead wrong?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new side to everyone comes out, Tommy feeling more welcomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should mention that these first two chapters were like prologue ones. The next chapter will have a four year time skip, I just wanted to explain how it all started!
> 
> Ages for the first two chapters!
> 
> Tommy: 12  
> Phil: 39  
> Wilbur: 19  
> Techno: 18  
> Nikki: 19  
> Luna: 17  
> Dream: 18  
> Sapnap: 17  
> George: 20
> 
> Also I should mention that you all call this soft but just you wait

There's a first time for everything.

When Tommy first met Phil, Techno, Wilbur, and Nikki, they all were surrounded by dead bodies and blood, all caused by the former three, who caused Tommy to shrink by their glares when he would look at them. The only person he would dare to be next to was Nikki. She had helped him calm down that night and was the one that gave him food the following day. Techno and Wilbur were chasing each other around with death threats over pancakes the same morning, which scared Tommy. The only reason why he didn't shake or cry that morning was that he could see the two smiling at each other from time to time. Even if he continued to believe that they would hurt each other or even Tommy himself, Nikki would be there to reassure him that they were just messing around and there was nothing to worry about. Of course, Tommy was still scared of everyone, the moment he messes something up, the moment he could be thrown out, or worse, killed. 

Of course, that mindset was changed after talking to everyone in the small family over the week and hanging out with them all together. Of course, the first conversations with everyone was shaky, but they all had a better impact on Tommy.

The first one he had a real conversation with was Nikki, it was during the first breakfast there, and Wilbur and Techno slipped out after they spilt an entire bottle of syrup on each other and had to clean up. Nikki was cleaning up some dishes and had made eye contact with Tommy, who was still eating slowly.

"You are Tommy, right? My name is Nikki, and I like to bake. I'm sorry for the scare you had to go through last night. No child should have to witness that. Also, I should let you all know who is who first. The one with the puffy brown hair and glasses is Wilbur! He is really kind and plays great music, it really helps on rough nights. The other pink-haired person here is Technoblade, but he rather you call him Techno. Besides Phil, he is the smartest in the group, he talks with this monotone voice and acts all tough, but he gives the best advice. The last one you saw, of course, was Phil. Everyone gets scared of him when they first meet him, but he is basically a teddy bear. He gives the best hugs, the best comfort, and he is the reason we all call each other family. You will be able to meet the others tonight most likely. You definitely will see Luna, and she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She makes the best food and is the big sister we all need. Then there's Dream. He is very intimidating at times, but deep down, he is super fun to play games with, even when he is better than all of us combined. Sapnap is very loud, but he knows how to think things through till the end. Lastly, George, well he is mostly the group's moral support. Don't tell him I said that, though. He is really kind and generous, but he just doesn't know how to keep up a fight."

Tommy looked at Nikki as she listed all the member's names with their personalities. Of course, he had heard of most of the names, besides George. Every member was known for at least something. Wilbur and Technoblade are known for standing right next to Phil and killing whoever they want. Nikki is known for her ability to spy perfectly and blend in with any group she needs to. Luna is a devil when it comes to poisons and toxins, she could use her knowledge to either quickly kill a person or torture them until they die. Dream is known to be a god with speed and directions, if you were to try and run away from him, you would not last even a minute. Sapnap is said to be perfect on the destruction side, being able to work with fire perfectly. Phil...well, Phil is said to be the scariest person to be with. Rumours whispered about how he never shows mercy to people who bump into him, and he can do whatever he wants with people because the threat of death hung over their heads.

"Are....what are guys going...to....to do with me?" A shaky question burst from Tommy, worried about his fate by being with a group like this. Were they going to hurt him? Were they going to kill him? Use him for their crime needs.

Nikki looked at Tommy and shrugged with that same kind smile plastered on her face.

"It's up to you really. Phil thought about taking you and having you live here, becoming apart of the family since he doesn't want to put you in foster care. Like I said though, it is up to you what you do next, as long as it is not harmful to yourself or good, innocent people. You could stay here, go live at a relatives house if you have any, if you really wanted to do foster care, you can do it. None of us will tell you what to do, but I rather you decide soon since Phil was planning on all of us going shopping for you."

Wait, no plans on killing him? No plans on using him? He could do what he _wants?_ He could leave this place, quit the crime life, and just be happy? It sounded so good, like a dream come true. However, the thing that confused Tommy the most was that Phil, the man himself, had planned on taking in Tommy as a family member. While it was scary because Tommy had no idea how the others acted, what if they were lying? Nikki is said to be the spy and can act out any lie she wants to, so what stops her from lying now? But she did help him earlier when he was freaking out, that didn't feel fake. If she really wanted to do something sinister, she wouldn't have given him a good breakfast. Nikki could have just pushed the boy off her when he leaned on her in the car, but she didn't. Tommy had come to the conclusion that he trusts her.

"If you want, I can have Phil wait until tomorrow for you to decide. It's a fast decision that usually takes a while, so I'll try to get as much time as you need for it. Everyone here just wants you to be happy and comfortable. People like us are family, and we usually help each other out.

"you...you said you liked to bake?" Tommy looked at Nikki, with somewhat of pleading eyes. To that, Nikki responded with a bright smile and gently led Tommy into the kitchen. Tommy saw how happy she looked as she flipped through a recipe book with him, pointing at different assortments of baked goods, asking which one he would like. They had settled for a 2-tier cake, a funfetti one with vanilla frosting and decorated with some basic circle sprinkles along the edges. They had started right away, and instantly they were baking together, making messes, and making the whole house smell like heaven. The other three in the house managed to leave for a while to leave the two alone. Tommy didn't really know how to bake, so there were a lot of mistakes and messes. Instead of darkened glares or yelling, Nikki would always smile at it and say how 'making messes is an essential part of baking.' Not once did she seem to get mad at Tommy, only kind words filled with encouragement and fun.

By the time it was all done, it looked astounding to Tommy. It's perfect placement and decorations was so far up compared to the dry cookies he would get from time to time. Nikki had already gotten a serving knife out and Tommy had flinched for a moment before she handed him a slice of the cake.

"Do you know what the best part about baking something is?" She asked as she gave herself a piece of cake, to the question, Tommy shook his head. Nikki nodded and gave him a plastic fork before she took a big bite of it, getting frosting on her face that was just a huge smile.

"Eating it!"

And yes, she was right. Tommy instantly loved the cake the moment he had one taste of it, and he kept eating the slice he was given. He even got seconds! It was so good, and the thing that made Tommy even more excited about it was that he had somewhat made it! Something that tasted so good was created with his help! For the first time since he could remember, he smiled.

Nikki used to be a lying spy to him, but now? She was a kind-hearted and honest person that could always help you and make you happy when she sees that you are sad, and she has the kindest smiles.

\-----------------------

The next people Tommy had an actual conversation with was Wilbur and Techno. Tommy was in the room that Phil had said was his, kicking idly on the bed and thinking about the past 24 hours and what Nikki had said earlier. He was thinking about the offer of staying in the house. On one side, it was very cosy and felt perfect for him, he wouldn't be on the streets, and maybe get close to others. On the other side, the group that lived in this house could just be hiding their true intentions. He tried to sway to the positive side more, trying to convince his brain that when he had hung out with Nikki, she only showed him kindness and support and that the others could be like that.

His mind kept racing and splitting, almost making him dizzy by how quick they were going. Even if he wanted to stop and just relax, the worry just never stopped. He had started pacing around at one point, but not that he noticed because of how overwhelmed he was. The only thing that had prevented him? He heard singing, and a guitar strums coming from a room down the hall. It wasn't next to the room he was in, but it was pretty close by. Tommy was now curious, was this Wilbur's voice? Nikki had mentioned earlier that he makes music, and this made Tommy want to hear more. The music sounded so soothing, and it was almost helping him fully relax. Creeking open the door, he looked down the hall and was met with one of the rooms to have a slightly open door, and that's where the music was the loudest.

Tommy didn't even notice that his legs were moving until he was at the door and looking in. He saw someone, Wilbur, sitting on the ground, singing and strumming. It was angelic, and thoughts and worries had drifted away almost immediately at the music. It was only peace. Tommy had completely forgotten Wilbur was apart of a crime family at that moment. The music had gone on for some time until Wilbur had accidentally messed up and cursed under his breath, causing Tommy to flinch and open the door a little bit by chance. Wilbur shot his head up and met eyes with Tommy, who stiffened up. Wilbur had now seen him snooping, what was he going to do? Tommy was invading his privacy. 

Tommy tensed up and tried to back away, awaiting something from Wilbur, a shout, a glare, a punch or slap. But, it never came. All Wilbur did was smile at Tommy and motioned for him to go into his room. Tommy was confused but shuffled inside, and Wilbur scooted to the side, letting Tommy sit down beside him as he placed his guitar down. Tommy sat down but tried to stay tensed up, taking up as little as he can on the carpet, to this, Wilbur sighed.

"Tommy, right? I'm Wilbur, there's no reason to be worried, just relax, ok?"

Tommy shakily nodded, trying to relax his body from the tense motion. It wasn't working fully, but Wilbur still smiled patiently and continued to talk to Tommy.

"You were baking with Nikki earlier, that's impressive. She rarely has others help her because she gets worried that we would mess something up. She must really trust you, and the cake turned out perfectly! I was eating so much of it that Nikki got mad at me and hid the cake from me."

Tommy chuckled softly at this, which made Wilbur happy that something was coming from the child instead of fear and tensed emotions. And yes, Techno was right, Wilbur was already attached to Tommy, so you could guess how happy he was when he found Tommy sitting next to him. He knew why Tommy had found himself in his room, it was the music he was making.

"Do you have a favourite song, Tommy? I can try to play it for you if you tell me."

Tommy thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"I...I don't know many....s....songs...s....sorry.....and the ones i....i...I know don't...work.....with a guitar......i...think."

Wilbur ruffled the kid's hair gently and grabbed his guitar, getting ready to play something, a song that Luna had shown him, it was simple enough and was a pretty melody.

"It's alright, Tommy, I understand. Is it ok if I play one of my favourite songs?"

Tommy nodded, and Wilbur smiled with a soft nod before focusing on his guitar.

_ You know it fills my heart with happiness to have met and to have lived with you. And yet as time goes on and older we grow it feels a little sad too. Now even though it hurts I'll hold these happy memories close. And walk toward the day you leave my side and go somewhere I don't know… _

Tommy listened carefully, letting the strums and noise of the guitar fill the room. Wilbur sang beautifully, and the lyrics mashed together with grace.

_ And if the only thing I'm here to do is to take the place of someone else Than I would rather have been born as a pebble living life all by myself. Cause then we'd understand each other's words and feelings too. And just maybe then the me I am wouldn't ever have known you. _

Wilbur sounded so into the song, swaying himself along and with his eyes closed as he focused on singing as if he had just not paid attention to whatever or whoever was in the room with him.

_ All I ever wanted is to pour out all my thoughts and to let you know just how I feel. Even so I go and lie telling you that every thought I have is secret. I don't earn your praises all I ever am is cowardly I don't know why you stay here by my side So why? Oh why? Oh why? _

_ Even though the pain never ends and pulls me apart you smile there beside me. All I ever wanted to do was reach out to you and say that I was happy. And at once the world seems to blur and melt all away as I can feel the tears now. These miracles flooding me won't ever make it leave, Because I can still hear your voice calling out to me.  _

Tommy was fully relaxed now, his shoulders had stopped being risen to his neck, and he had now opened his body. Tommy was unaware his body had untensed as he focused on Wilbur. He was even forming a smile on his lips.

Wilbur continued to sing the tune, and Tommy kept focusing on Wilbur, how his hands moved along the guitar and how calm the male seemed made Tommy just want to relax and be like this for the entire day. Listening to music and just relaxing.

Tommy didn't even notice Wilbur had finished until he heard a different voice enter the room.

"Haven't heard that song in a while Wil."

Tommy tensed up again and slowly turned his head back and saw who had entered the room. There stood a male with messy pink hair and glasses. This was most likely Technoblade, or 'Techno'. He looked exhausted as he entered the room, taking a glance at Tommy for a moment before sitting on a chair near Wilbur.

"Ya' have the child in here?"

"Yeah, was playing him some music."

"Don't know how someone like you attracted a child in here," Techno gave a playful glare at his brother, who retorted with the finger. Tommy shuffled back for a moment while the two bickered. It was nothing terrible, just two brothers being brothers. For a moment, Tommy wanted to be there, bickering with people that are like family to him.

"Technooo you're so meaaaan, Tommy back me up here," Wilbur leaned near Tommy, causing the latter to flinch out of habit. Both brothers saw this and died it down.

"Wil you are being clingy again."

"No, I'm not."

"You are literally attached to me right now," Tommy said, which caused silence to fall upon the room. Techno and Wilbur both looked at Tommy with wide eyes and Tommy shrunk, oh god he had said something wrong. They are going to kill him. Tommy didn't want to die. Please spare-

Techno doubled over laughing, "oh that was priceless. I already love this child."

Wilbur tried to keep a mad face, but laughing burst out of him, covering his mouth. Tommy eased up a tad and looked at the two laughing, making small chuckles himself.

"I'm s..sorry."

Techno calmly raised his hand away from Tommy in a high five position, "there's no reason to be sorry for something amazing like that."

Tommy hesitantly high-fived Techno, looking at Wilbur, who just smiled and gave a thumbs up. Tommy gave back a small smile.

"Oh, Techno! You haven't introduced yourself yet if Tommy is going to stay with us, he needs to know one of his brothers!"

Brothers? What was Wilbur talking about? They weren't family, Tommy was just a guest at their house, why was Wilbur talking about him being a brother.

_"Phil thought about taking you and having you live here, becoming apart of the family."_

Family, such a weird thought. A family could be people caring about you and being together, tied by blood. On another note, a family could be a crime group, people working together under one boss. A family could just be people who cared about each other, not being tied by blood. So which was it?

"He hasn't even been here a day, and you are calling him my brother? Man, you cling onto people quickly," Techno sat down again, this time closer to the other two and rung a hand through his own hair, "my name is Technoblade, but I would prefer you to call me Techno, but do whatever you want I guess."

"Tommy...my name is Tommy..b...but you already knew that so...it's um....nice to meet you Techno...and Wilbur..."

"Nice to meet ya too kid," Wilbur replied.

"Oh yeah Wil, when are we going to Luna's?"

Wilbur checked his phone, looking at the time before carelessly tossing it at the carpet, "dunno, dad said we would leave when he got home, so maybe in an hour or two?"

Techno huffed, and himself relaxed near the other two, turning to Wilbur.

"I came in here for the music, sing guitar boy, sing."

Wilbur rolled his eyes and grabbed his guitar and began to sing. It was a lot quieter than the first song, slow even. It almost felt like a lullaby, and that's what had gotten Tommy so tired. He had barely slept the night before after waking up in a place he didn't recognize, and he had started to panic, but now, there was no need to panic. Tommy was leaning on a beanbag at this point and was beginning to drift off to sleep, closing his eyes softly.

As he did, he thought of how the two sons of Phil were told to be the coldest and ruthless people out there. To Tommy, they are just brothers that play around and are there for comfort.

\-----------------------

"Tommy, wake up, we are leaving."

Wilbur's voice filled Tommy's ears as he is met with a jacket being handed to him by Techno. Tommy took it quickly and threw it on and followed the two out of Wilbur's room and they went downstairs, meeting who seemed to be Phil and Nikki in the main room, chatting with warm smiles on their faces. They turned to the three entering the room. Both got up, and they all made their way to Phil's car. Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy were in the back while Phil drove and Nikki sat in the passenger seat. The car was warm with conversations and comfort. It was different from the previous night where Tommy had scrunched into one place in fear of the world. Now? Tommy was sitting in the middle by Wilbur and Techno, not scared at all. In fact, he felt comfortable by the two, like nothing bad was going to happen to him. They drove for some time, Tommy looking out the window at sunset, mesmerized by it. Soon enough, they arrived at a small diner, and everyone got out of the car. The place looked normal enough, there was a group of people at the high tops when the 5 walked in, all talking to the worker.

"Oh they are here!" A male's voice turned around and soon, three other males and one female were looking at the group, specifically Tommy. The worker, a female with black and purple-tipped hair tied into a bun with round glasses, had placed the glass down and rushed up to the group. She tackled Tommy in a hug, it was kind and loving. A hug by someone Tommy didn't know. 

"Luna be careful!" Nikki exclaimed to the female, Luna, who pulled apart from the hug with a big smile.

"You must be Tommy! Nikki told me about you, I'm so happy to see you here!" She bubbled around the small child. She was perfectly harmless and was just sp kind to Tommy.

"My name is Luna! You can consider me as your big sister cause you are now protected by me!" She smiled widely as she pulled Tommy to the high tops, motioning him to sit down, next to a group of three men. One had dirty blonde hair with freckles, and a green hoodie, the one sitting next to him had a sky blue shirt on with a red logo of some sorts. He had brown hair with white clout sunglasses on his head. The last one had black hair and a white bandana on his head. His shirt had a little fire design on it.

"I should introduce you to these three! The first one is Dream, the next is George, and the final one is Sapnap!" Luna quickly took a sip of some coffee before motioning for the other four to sit down.

"H....Hi...I'm Tommy....it's...n....nice to meet you."

Meeting new people was still scary, especially other members that were rumoured to be dangerous themselves. Right now, though, they all looked like ordinary people having a good time together. Tommy was still tense, but Luna gave him a smile.

"What would you like to drink? Hot chocolate? Lemonade? Juice?"

"Um....w....water..is....free...right? Wa....water is fine....."

Luna rolled her eyes and poked Tommy on his forehead with that same smile that never seems to leave her face.

"It's all free! Perks of being apart of the family of course and a child like you doesn't have to worry about the cost. So what do you _really_ want?

Tommy smiled at the comment and ordered a small hot chocolate, only to be greeted with a large mug filled with the hot drink and with a lot of marshmallows and whipped cream.

"That's not fair Luna, why does Tommy get special treatment and I don't" Sapnap pouted at Luna, who just shrugged and started handing out drinks to Wil, Techno, Phil, and Nikki.

"Because he doesn't rush into my diner with two other obnoxious people, screaming how he 'won' and slamming into my high tops. Also, if you reaaaallly wanted something special, get it yourself."

Everyone burst out into laughter, Tommy's small and anxious, but it started to ease up slightly.

"I'm glad to see that you don't have a lot of major injuries Tommy," Dream nodded as he drank some dark soda. Everyone nodding in agreement.

"Yeah! It's so cool to meet you!" George smiled at Tommy, who gave him a small smile back.

"Maybe we should-" Sapnap started, only to get interrupted by Techno.

"If you try to put him in the stupid games that you three play you will not be allowed in Luna's diner for a month, he's too young right now, and you would scare him," Phil crossed his arms, causing a defeated 'aww' from Sapnap.

"Plus, that's your three's thing, I don't think any of us could handle a fourth person racing around, and you guys always get hurt, crawling back to Nikki to treat you," Luna rolled her eyes.

Luna then proceeded to take everyone's orders, Tommy ordering pancakes with a lot of bacon. When they arrived, Tommy almost didn't want to eat the dish because it looked so good, but Luna encouraged him to do it.

When the others said Luna's cooking was the best, they were not lying. Tommy loved every bite of his food, making sure to savour every bite. You could tell that Luna was happy about this by her bright smile and her glances over to Tommy while they all ate. By the time it was all finished, Tommy was full, everyone had also finished and were mindlessly talking. Something about taking down a corrupt business leader or something like that the next week or so? Tommy wasn't paying attention to the conversation, he was zoning out, thinking about where he was, and how _happy_ he was now. 

Dream, someone seen to be a speed demon, was now someone who took speed over anything, and very competitive. He was also supportive, and a good sport when he loses/wins.

Sapnap, destruction under his name, was just a loud person with jokes and a fire for determination for whatever comes his way.

George was scared easily, but he was there to chime his ideas and was so nice to everyone. 

Luna, who was painted to be this witch looking girl with all her poisons and evil doings, was just a hardworking big sister who wanted what is best for her family.

It was a perfect group to be apart of, all people who were seen to act all bad and scary, were just a family of people who love and care for each other and would do anything for them. Even if they're not tied by the bonds of blood, the emotional bonds were thicker.

And they wanted Tommy to be apart of their family.

And Tommy wanted to be apart of that family as well.

\-----------------------

Tommy awoke in the bare bed at Phil's house in a cold sweat. Tommy's mind was now easing from the nightmare of being alone and everything being bloody, just bloody. A feeling of being alone that was consuming him and scared him. His stomach growled, and it was apparent that he was hungry. He also wanted a small breath of air that wasn't in the stuffy room. Tommy creaked the door open and tip-toed down the stairs, thanking the fact that it didn't make any noise. He felt the cool air of the house and felt more at ease. It was a slow day, but also busy. Tommy had met the real side of almost everyone that he had seen, the only person he hadn't was-

"Tommy? Why are you still awake? It's like, 3am?" 

Phil's worried tone startled Tommy, causing the male to tense up slightly before somewhat relaxing, seeing Phil at the kitchen counter, drinking a small glass of water.

"Dunno...had a somewhat bad dream..." Tommy admitted, and he could see Phil's face soften, and he motioned Tommy to sit next to him, to which he did and was met with a soft and comforting hug, like all the worries that Tommy had at that moment dripped away into peace and calm.

"I understand Tommy, I had a bad dream myself."

Tommy looked at Phil, confused, and Phil just nodded with a patient smile.

"Is it ok if I tell you mine? Talking about things usually makes me feel better."

Tommy nodded, and Phil explained what he dreamed about in a soft tone, his voice breaking from time to time.

"I had to witness everyone I ever cared about die in such horrible deaths while I had to stand there, unable to help them. It's a scary thought, and something familiar about being in the life that we are in. That one wrong move and you could lose everything you care about. We try to make the world a better place and take down groups that are a high threat to the world. Of course, it is hard sometimes, but we know what we do is right. We sometimes have fun doing it as well, and we all are close as a family."

Phil spoke softly, sitting next to Tommy, who listened to everything. It was a peaceful moment of silence before Tommy spoke.

"I.....in my dream...it all just felt cold. There was no specific person or people I saw, or anything really...noticeable...all there was.....was.....blood....and the feeling of being alone......and pain...it hurt a lot and I didn't know what was happening. I...I was scared...and...and."

Tommy was met by a comforting hug from Phil.

"I understand that, but it's ok. You are ok. You don't have to feel alone anymore. We will always welcome you here, and everyone here will help you through anything you are going through. It's up to you, of course, but it's only been a day, and you already feel like family to a lot of us."

Tommy just laid in the hug, not moving. He felt like if he was in that embrace, there would be no worry of being alone, it would only be peace. Of course, issues would come his way, but Tommy now knew that he is not alone.

"Phil?"

"Yeah, Tommy?"

"I want to live here."

Tommy could feel Phil smile and hug him tighter.

"Welcome to the family, Tommy."

Tommy knew that morning, that Phil, someone who was supposed to be feared for every reason out there. That if you crossed paths with him, you would not be found alive. Someone that has caused small gangs to cower. Phil was only a caring father that would do anything to protect his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the support you have shown this fic! It means a lot to me to see all the hits, bookmarks, kudos, and comments! They all really make my day!


	3. See 'em running for their lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta grind 2,000 words in an hour for the schedule am I right?
> 
> Also this takes place 4 years after last chapter! (Tubbo is the same age as Tommy)
> 
> Also yeah be prepared this is when the fic goes dark

"Mornin bitches!" Tommy sprung down the stairs and into the kitchen. Only the actual people lived in the house that were there that morning, so it was quiet for a moment. Well, until Tommy entered the room.

"The gremlin is finally awake, didn't want to drag you out of bed, too much work," Techno sipped on some coffee while Wilbur handed Tommy a plate of toast and eggs. Everyone else had already finished their breakfast and was just mingling around.

"So what are you guys going to do today? More planning?"

Phil nodded and checked the time on his phone, glancing at some of the messages that had popped up on his phone.

Wilbur passed Tommy and ruffled Tommy's hair with a smirk, causing Tommy to try and swat the arms away. Wilbur stopped after a moment and gave a kinder smile.

"Make sure you are careful today. Even though you have talked to Tubbo for years and have seen him before, you don't know his real intentions. Could be out there to kill you," Wilbur warned Tommy, who just shook his head with a laugh.

"Don't worry, I will be fine! If Tubbo even tries something, I will intimidate him with how big I am and my awesome energy."

"Whatever you say, Tommy," Techno rolled his eyes as he left the room to go get ready for the rest of the day.

Tommy would have chased after Techno if it weren't for Phil who stopped him with a question.

"You are planning on going paddle boarding, right? Do you need extra money for that?"

Tommy shook his head, "Nah, we have enough money together and for food if we decide to go out to get something. I think we should be all good."

Phil nodded and left the room as well, followed by Wilbur.

"We gotta head out soon, just stay safe and if you need anything, you can call any of us."

"Yeah, yeah, no need to worry old man."

Phil just chuckled and fully left the kitchen, leaving Tommy alone to finish his food and get ready for his day while the others go meet up at Luna's diner. According to Wilbur and Techno, it was supposed to be more of a relaxing day and see anything they needed to take care of.

It wasn't long after everyone left when Tommy finished his breakfast and put his dish away. The house was quiet and peaceful. It usually is calm, but having all the four in one room can get crazy, and they don't even speak about times when everyone is in the house at once. The last time Dream and George broke a vase because they were roughhousing.

Tommy's phone buzzed from across his room, Tubbo's contact visible and Tommy raced to pick it up. Excitement coursing through his body.

"Tubbbooo! My maaaan! How are you this morning?" Tommy cheered into the phone, hearing his friend chuckle.

"Hi Tommy, I'm fine. Kinda tired since my housemates kept me awake all night with their screaming about their games again. I'm so glad that they are out today, they can go annoy other people."

Tommy laughed, "yeah, my family can get a bit chaotic from time to time as I've said."

Tommy and Tubbo met on a game of Minecraft one late night. Both shared a similar issue of the people in their houses getting home late due to their work and how loud they are from time to time. Tubbo said how his housemates are always riled up and never seem to calm down, even when they say they had a hard day at work.

_"What do they do for a living Tubbo?" Tommy had once asked late at night when they played together, testing many hack clients and one Tubbo made for Tommy._

_"They never tell me, they say that it is a boring job though. Sometimes they arrive home soaking wet and other times dirty, I guess construction or something with physical labour? What does your family do Tommy?"_

_Tommy had come up with a lie saying how they hunt or something like that, saying how they come home bloody sometimes but most of the time they just come back normal and cheerful, Tommy would say he didn't know._

"Did you at least get some sleep? I'm sure their screaming wasn't the best."

"If I fall asleep before they get home, then I don't have to stay up listening to them."

"Smart, but doesn't that mean you don't see them often?"

"I usually see them in the morning, and we hang out on the weekends if they aren't busy."

"Anyways, we are still meeting up at the same time?"

"Yep! I'm going to leave in an hour, just gonna pack a few things."

"Alright, I'll head out soon then since it is a bit far from my place and I have to take a train for like 15 minutes."

"Got it, see ya later, Tommy!"

"See ya, Tubbo!"

The call ended, and Tommy started to get ready, having most of his things ready the night before because he was so excited. He launched his bag over his shoulder and shot down the stairs and out the door, locking it as he left.

\-----------------------

The sun shone brightly onto the sand as Tommy walked around, Tubbo had messaged him, saying that he was a few minutes away and that traffic had gotten in the way. Tommy was quite anxious to meet his best friend in real life. After talking to him for 4 years over a screen, they finally were able to figure out that they lived close to each other and were able to meet up. Tubbo had requested paddle boarding for the first thing they did because the night the two had met, Tubbo had gone paddle boarding and just had a small sentimental value to it. Tommy just rolled his eyes and shook it off as stupid, but never insulted it. Tommy watched some of the waves crash against the surface when he was suddenly wrapped in an embrace, flinching, he gripped the person's wrists and flung himself around. A wince came from the 'attacker', and it became known that it was Tubbo just giving Tommy a huge hug.

"Ow! What the hell, Tommy?"

"Sorry Tubbo, you just jumped onto me without any warning, it's kind of an instinct."

"Yeah, Yeah."

Tubbo and Tommy met eyes before Tubbo gave him a big hug.

"It's so good to finally be able to see you in person. Today is going to be super fun!"

Tommy rolled his eyes, "of course, it's because I am here."

Tubbo laughed and dragged him to the rental shop so they could rent the paddleboard for the day. It wasn't too long of a wait when they got the board and paddles, and they were off in the water. The next few minutes consisted of them trying to fully balance themselves on the board and get out into the deeper part if they fall into the water. Tubbo was doing most of the moving into the water part, and Tommy was trying to find the perfect point to balance both males without falling. Tommy fell off the board one more time, and Tubbo laughed at the splash. Tommy soon came above water and latched onto the board, groaning.

"I feel off."

Tubbo tilted his head before nodding, putting his paddle down before grabbing Tommy's wrist to pull his friend onto the board.

"Yeah, you can get seasick sometimes after falling a lot and the shaking of the board."

"Seasickness sucks," Tommy complained as he got onto the board safely and Tubbo grabbed his paddle with a chuckle.

It took them about another 20 minutes of falling and such before they were able to balance together, Tommy cheering and Tubbo giving a clap as they road the waters together, laughing. Tommy had pushed Tubbo far into the water at one point, causing the board (attached to Tubbo by an ankle by a rope) to fling from under Tommy's feet.

"Karma," Tubbo crawled back onto the boat, taking a breath as he laid there as Tommy tried to get back on himself. It was a bit more difficult now as he was tired. Tubbo also took some time to get up, it had been a few hours since they had gone out to the ocean, and Tommy had now started to feel sicker, so they both decided to get out of the water for the day.

"So, do you have any plans on what you want to do since we aren't really going to be at the ocean anymore?" Tubbo shuffled along the paths, Tommy looking on his phone for certain places they could go.

"Why don't we get a quick snack and then go to the arcade?" Tommy shrugged, putting his phone back into his pocket. 

"Sounds like a good idea Tommy, I haven't been to an arcade in a while so that would be fun," Tubbo turned his head over to Tommy, who was looking around the two with suspicion glazing his eyes.

"You ok?"

Tommy snapped his back to Tubbo, his eyes back to the cheery look he had, "yeah sorry man, I just thought I felt like someone was watching us, but I don't see anyone."

Tubbo looked around, not feeling the same feeling Tommy described, and also not noticing anything.

"I don't see anything odd, it's probably just your body trying to adjust to not being in the water?"

Tommy shrugged, "possibly, now come on, let's go get some food!"

Tubbo smiled and nodded before following his friend.

\-----------------------

"Hah! Third times the charm!" 

Tommy cheered as he won another game, it was this silly fake bowling game that the two teens were playing.

"You just have good aim," Tubbo rolled his eyes as he looked around for another game to play.

"What do you wanna play next? I'm kinda sick of playing this game."

Tommy stepped away from the game, smirking at his friend, "nah, you are just sick of losing."

"Am not."

"Uh-huh."

Both burst into laughter before coming along a dancing game, Tommy eying Tubbo.

"You should try that Tubbo."

Tubbo shook his head quickly, "no, I am horrible at games like that, why don't you try it?"

"I've never tried a game like that before honestly, looks too hard for me, which is why you should try it."

"I'm sure you would be better at it than me with your reflexes, just try it, Tommy."

An audible grumble came from Tommy before he walked up to it, Tubbo following.

"You are going to make a fool out of me."

"Look on the bright side, both of us will be humiliated by this game, but I'm sure that you will be fine."

Tubbo expected Tommy to be somewhat good at the game, but he didn't expect Tommy to be _this good._

Tubbo had stepped off the machine at one point after failing a lot of the songs, but Tommy stayed on because he was actually doing good ~~and he was having fun.~~

It was the ending of a song, and Tommy had leaned against the bar, catching his breath for a moment before Tubbo began to clap.

"That was amazing, Tommy! You seem to be having a lot of fun playing that."

"Am not, someone just had extra credits in it, and I'm taking them before other people use them."

Tubbo rolled his eyes but didn't say anything and watched as Tommy picked another song, choosing a harder difficulty this time. Tubbo getting his camera out to record this.

"Tubbo you better put that phone away, you will mess me up."

"How did you know?!"

"Growing up with brothers who like to record you doing stupid things, I just have the knowledge."

Tommy went back to playing, doing a great job. It wasn't perfect, but it was way better than what Tubbo could do, who was actually recording this.

The song was over after a few minutes, and Tommy was catching his breath, wiping sweat from his brow. He looked more on edge though, looking around the area like earlier, seriousness in his posture.

"What's wrong?" Tubbo asked, tilting his head.

"Someone is watching us."

"I'll confess, I was re-"

"I know you were recording idiot, this is a different feeling."

"Are you sure? I mean, we are in an arcade, someone could have just been watching for the game to open up or watching your skills?"

Tommy looked around again, eyes widened for a moment, and got off the machine, quickly dragging Tubbo with him.

"We can redeem our tickets later, for now, we need to go."

"Why? What's going on?"

"I'll explain to you once we are a bit far away, how far can you run?"

"Um...I would have to pace myself, but I'm sure a kilometer before I get too tired."

"Good, if you feel like you can't go on, let me know," Tommy nodded before the two ran out of the arcade, hearing footsteps chasing behind them.

"Tubbo, you need to trust me fully here, ok?"

"O...ok."

Tommy looked behind him, grabbed Tubbo's wrist, and dashed a quick turn into an alleyway. He kept making twists and turns, holding onto Tubbo as he did so.

"Tom-"

"Be quiet for now, I'm gonna try and have us lose him."

Tubbo closed his mouth, and Tommy made two quick turns and then flew out of the alleyways before going into another part, throwing the two behind some large bins. Tubbo covered his mouth and Tommy did the same.

They waited a few moments before the footsteps faded away. Tommy nodded at Tubbo before exhaling, breathing heavily.

"Tommy, what is going on?! Who was following us? Are they going to-?"

"They are only after me....if...if we separate....they won't bother going after you....."

"Why are they after you?"

Tommy gave a weak chuckle before pulling out his phone and writing something down in a note app, "if we make it to my house, I'll explain everything to you."

They caught their breath for a moment before Tommy leaned out of the alleyway, cursing slightly.

"Ok, we are about 5 minutes from the train station. Can you run there?"

Tubbo nodded, still catching his breath, "yeah, I can...and if not...I'll just grab onto you..."

Tommy's face darkened for a moment, "you will have to run without me, he's still out there looking for me."

Tubbo could feel his chest tighten in fear as he stood up, Tommy handed him his phone, a couple notes listed there.

_*Fake address here*_

_Tall, pale, bald, suit, scar on chin._

_Old gang._

_They're after me._

__

"Tommy whats-"

"I need you to get to this address here, just take a train to get to Brighton, and then you should be able to get there in ten minutes, you could even get a uber, there's a key in the first blue potted plant, if no one is home, call anyone in my contacts and tell them 'Tommy's in danger.' And-"

"Tommy what?! You are in danger?"

"Sorry, I think someone is after me...for bad things..."

"Like what?!"

"I rather not worry you, so let's just say..money...hopefully, but you need to go now!"

"What about you?! Are you going to be ok?!"

"If all goes well, I'll be at that address by sundown. If not, something happened to me."

"I can't just leave you to get hurt-"

"Tubbo if you come with me, I would be in more danger, so just go, I will be fine, I promise."

Tubbo stood up for a moment, looked at Tommy with anxious eyes, Tommy just responded with a smirk, and ran off, leaving Tubbo to run in the opposite direction.

\-----------------------

To say Tommy was scared is an understatement. His chest felt so tight from the running and anxiety, and he always wanted to look behind him. This was not good if he is too slow, they will catch him, and he has no help now. He gave his phone to Tubbo and going into a train or car was the worst idea.

His heart pounded as he slammed down on the pavement, trying to remember Dream's advice for running away. If he was too fast, mistakes were bound to happen, but if he was too slow, he would quickly get caught. 

Swerving and taking cover only cause kid purser to fall a bit behind. It was not enough to lose him, though. Tommy was trying to keep calm, he was never in a severe chase like this. The only pursuits he has been in were messing around with Dream, Sapnap, and George. While it was good practice, it wasn't enough. All Tommy could rely on was his training and some knowledge. At least Tommy could run far and fast without losing his breath. All he hoped was that Tubbo made it to the station and onto the train safely. Tubbo did not deserve to be in a horrible situation that was threatening Tommy as he moved.

Tommy wished he knew the place better, he didn't have any shortcuts or ways to altogether lose people, but the person chasing him did not seem to know the area well either, so they were on equal grounds. All they could do is wait for a mess up to win their part. This is cat and mouse.

How did Tommy not notice earlier? They were definitely watching him when he was paddle boarding. He wasn't getting seasick, it was the feeling of something wrong, someone preying onto him. When he and Tubbo were walking along the road, he should have reacted quicker, then he would be safe with Tubbo. Tommy bit his lip, feeling some blood trickle out. It was not the time to regret past decisions, if he screwed up now, it would be more regret for him and regret others.

He swerved into another alleyway, hoping to lose for at least a minute, that could give him more time. Tommy ran and ran, getting faster and faster as he looked for ways to lose someone, anything would work. Any movement, and corner, something. Tommy looked ahead and saw the perfect turn, an ideal throw off, so of course, he took it.

_Only to be met with three other men, wearing the same clothing as his pursuer._

Tommy tried to back up but bumped into another person, it was the same person he was being chased by. There was no way out, he was caught.

"F...fellas, what a lovely game we are playing...but I have to go now, my father wouldn't be too happy if I arrive...late..."

Tommy could only feel a prick in his neck before the world seems to spin, and his muscles were getting too heavy to move. He couldn't move anymore, and he just slammed into the ground, not being able to protest as the world went dark.

\-----------------------

Tubbo ran off of the train, looking at Tommy's phone for the address. He was scared for his friend and forgot about getting a ride, racing to the address as quickly as possible. All he hoped for was for Tommy to in the house, relaxing with that smile and laugh.

Tubbo managed to dash and made his way to the house in about 10 minutes. He would have had time to look at how fancy it seemed if he wasn't worried too much. He quickly scanned for the potted plants, and found the first blue one, discovering a key laying after a little bit of digging. Tubbo grabbed it and held it close to his chest as before he put it in the keyhole, turning it and opening the door.

"Tommy?! Are you here?! Tommy?!"

There were no lights on and no noises. No one was home, and that made the dread in Tubbo worse. So, he went to Tommy's contact app and started to look for who to call. There were only 9 contacts on the phone, Tubbo included. He scrolled for a moment before noticing 3 familiar names and quickly calling the first one listed. It rang a few moments before it went through.

"-Tommy, what's up? You usually don't call me."

"D-Dream?!"

"Tubbo?! Why do you have Tommy's phone?"

"Dream why are you- nevermind, I think Tommy needs help...he's...he's...in danger."

Tubbo could hear shuffling on the other line, a lot of voices being muffled before Dream came back on.

"Where are you?"

"Tommy's house."

"We will be there in 30 minutes."

The line disconnected, leaving Tubbo to only worry more. He took a seat on a big couch and tried to not worry, even more, trying not to bite his nails out of fear.

He hoped that sundown would come slower and that Tommy would be there soon.


	4. Gonna Say it Again For the People (This is NOT a chapter but a RANT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I said this on my other Fic and I'll say it again here
> 
> This will have some pretty heavy language about certain group of people so sorry if you dont enjoy heavy cursing but i need to say this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah may or may not lose people for my opinion f

So  
Lets us talk about one of the reasons why fanfics like mine get such a bad rep here in the community shall we?

Of course we have how some people think we are all 12 and don't know how to write and yada yada yada

Nah

I'm going to talk about the major issue here that I have mentioned in another fic of mine, but I will also say it here.

**THERE IS NO EXCUSE TO SHIP MINORS WITH ANYONE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY HAVE SAID HOW THEY ARE UNCOMFTERABLE ABOUT IT. THIS ALSO GOES WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID THAT THEY ARE UNCOMFERTABLE WITH IT.**

I will scream that until I break my lungs if that is even possible.

There is no reason to be writing smut or non-con or ANYTHING like that with minors and people who have stated how they don't like it. I know that the people who usually write that stuff probably do not read my things but oh well, you can send this basic message to them on their fics and say I said it.

Unless you had no idea, which it is still bad to be writing that stuff about real minors even if you didn't know, you absolutely fucking disgust me to my core. Those creators put content out for us, make us enjoy it, and ask for simple things. Some saying how they do not want anything NSFW to be made of them. Especially the minors. They are super uncomfortable with those things. Think of it this way, would you show your writing to them with pride? If you think that you need to hide your writing about a content creator out of shame or fear for their reactions, then you shouldn't be writing it. Of course, some creators do not have solid boundaries so that could affect it, but if you go against what they say, you are the worst of the worst in this fandom. I fucking hate people that would write things like that and have the PRIDE to write about it.

'oH bUt nAnA it'S mY cOpINg mEcHaNiSM' Fuck off. Seriously, shut the fuck up. Do not bring that shit into an argument like this. If you want to write stuff like that as a coping mechanism, write it on fictional, characters. Like anime and cartoon characters are acceptable, but real people?! That's just horrible and disgusting. If you even try to bring the rp! versions of them, no. The creators that have said that they do not like that stuff go for the fictional types as well. 

Just, I know it's not going to stop and I know that I could get hate for this, but it is my personal opinion on shit like this. It is fucking gross and horrible. I have not personally read any of the fics because I cannot handle it, but yes I do see the request comment and god how vile and fucking weird some people are. It's so creepy what I have read in little over 20 minutes. Like, jesus christ some people really need to chill the fuck out.

And for the people out there who want proof? Here ya go (all research done on https://smp-boundaries.tumblr.com/post/611044520230109184/smp-creator-boundaries-masterpost ) : 

**Tommy:** Tommy’s most recent stance on shipping is him saying “I don’t think you should ship me and Tubbo” when talking about stans and shipping; as far as I can tell he probably disapproves of shipping going off this.

Tommy has confirmed that he is uncomfortable with NSFW; which should be expected considering he’s a minor.

 **Tubbo:** Tubbo has expressed discomfort with the idea of being shipped in two separate sources - one more directly and one in agreement to TommyInnit asking if he’s not okay with it.

TommyInnit has stated that Tubbo and him share the same view on NSFW of them - they are both uncomfortable with it (and are also both minors, so don’t condone it on a moral level). Tubbo was not there at the time of Tommy saying this but it can be assumed that they have talked about this off stream.

**Technoblade:** Techno has said that he is uncomfortable with people writing shipping fanfics (indicating he is uncomfortable with shipping) 

**Ranboo:** Ranboo is a minor (even if he doesn’t sound like one); this means that you shouldn’t sexualise him at all.

Ranboo has said that he is okay with fanfiction involving him, as long as it isn’t NSFW. He is not okay with NSFW of him in any context, since he is a minor.

**Nikki:** Niki is not comfortable with being sexualised. Presumably, this also means that she is not okay with NSFW content involving her.

**Fundy:** He has expressed discomfort towards NSFW jokes made by fans, which is probably enough evidence to safely say that he wouldn’t be comfortable with having NSFW content made of him

**If you need any research done for content creators regarding the DreamSMP and you need help for a certain one's boundaries like cosplay, fanfic, and others things that don't have to be NSFW related, you can leave a comment and I can do the research for you! It is a must to have done research on creators boundaries if you write about them, and I am more than happy to help you if you need it!**

tldr: Don't write NSFW shit about ppl who don't like it you creeps :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to start an argument with me in the comments, go for it. I would love to argue with my opinion and maybe help enlighten people about the topic


	5. Ain’t no crying ‘cause the fighting’s just begun

Tubbo paced around the empty house, wondering if he should call Dream back. He said that he would be there in 30 minutes, and it has been that time, so what happened to them? Maybe they were just late. That's what Tubbo hoped. He hoped that the people coming also weren't being chased by someone.

Tubbo stopped pacing when he was engulfed in a hug, snapping his head up. He was met with Dream, Sapnap, and George.

"Oh, thank god you are ok!" George exclaimed as Tubbo saw 5 others enter the room.

"How do you guys know this kid?" A taller man with pink hair and a stoic face asked the trio.

"He's our housemate Techno. His name is Tubbo!" Sapnap let go of the hug and turned to Techno.

"Wait, do you were Tommy's online friend the entire time?" A man with brown hair in a beanie asked, shocked.

"Yeah...I...I...I guess so..." Tubbo shook, gripping onto Dream's hug. Even if they were just housemates, the 3 were the closest Tubbo had for comfort now that Tommy wasn't there.

"Tubbo...you said Tommy was in danger?" The oldest said as his face became solemn, "can you tell us what happened and why he is in danger?"

Tubbo took a shaky breath, trying not to cry in fear of the memory, and tried his best to replay the moments leading up to him being in the house.

"T...Tom...Tommy and I were just...just...playing in an...ar....arcade...and...and....and...he..just..." It was getting hard for Tubbo to explain. His breath hitched, and sobs were starting to form.

"Hey, it's ok," A girl with purple tips said calmly and kindly, "just take a few deep breaths and explain slowly."

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, and Tubbo took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"We were at an arcade...and...all of a sudden he dragged me out and started running...he was saying that someone was chasing after us...and...he got away for a moment...he was saying that someone was watching us earlier...and Tommy told me to run here and get help from you guys...he also gave me his phone with a note..h..here." Tubbo handed Techno the phone, and everyone crowded around it, reading the few notes, eyes widened.

"How did they find him?!" Another female exclaimed, holding onto the phone as if it was going to bring Tommy back.

"There must have been a survivor Nikki," The beanie one stated, his tone serious and angry. 

"Why now, though, Wil? Why would they get him now? It's been years!" Nikki cried out, eyes tainted with worry. The other female putting a hand on Nikki's shoulder.

"It was the time when he was the most vulnerable." The female sighed.

"Yeah, Luna's right. It was the time when he was alone outside." George said softly. 

"It's also enough time to gather allies. It must have taken a lot of time to find the perfect opportunity." Dream nodded with a worried sigh.

The group started talking lowly, Tubbo slipping onto the couch again, trying not to break down due to the stress. He was blaming himself for Tommy's situation. If Tubbo had just done at least something to help, then maybe Tommy would have been sitting right next to him, laughing and joking. Tubbo squeezed his eyes shut and curled into a ball, almost starting to cry before he felt a little tap on his head. Opening his eyes, he found George holding a mug of hot chocolate and handing it to the teen, who silently took it as George sat down beside him.

"It's going to be ok; they will help him," He said softly to Tubbo, hugging him softly as well. Tubbo responded with a hug back, trying not to cry into the male's shoulder.

"I just...wish I listened to him earlier and...and...hadn't...-"

"There was nothing you could have done Tubbo, no one knew that this is what was going to happen to Tommy, so we can't blame anyone but the people that took him."

Tubbo was silent and just nodded, sobs coming out softly.

"Do you at least want me to introduce you to the others for now? It's best if you get to know them all since I guess you are going to stay here for a little longer."

"What do you mean by that..?" Tubbo asked softly.

"Well, since now...we are all probably going to stay here until we get Tommy back. I don't want you to be in danger, and leaving you alone is bad..."

"mmm," Tubbo agreed as he sat against the couch, George calling everyone over.

"Do we have a plan? Any ideas, Phil?" George said softly to the eldest one, Phil.

Phil shook his head, "nothing. There's no note from anyone, no contact from Tommy, _nothing_."

The room fell silent for a moment, dread finally settling in.

Dream mumbled something softly, and Sapnap softly shook his head, muttering something inaudible back. Dream looked down, obviously regretting something and the other trying to comfort. 

\-----------------------

The next few hours went by as a blur to Tubbo. All he could really tell you is that he was introduced to everyone, and he was asked to say everything he knew and if he had any ideas, which Tubbo did not. All Tubbo knew was that Tommy was scared of their chaser and which way ran.

It was now dark outside, and everyone was still talking, their voices wavering in tones and volume. Tubbo was starting to flutter his eyes. Tiredness was taking over his body. Tubbo didn't want that though, he wanted to stay up for Tommy, stay up until he knew that his friend would be safe, no matter what. His body was just not strong enough to stay up to his mind.

"Hey Tubbo, I think you should get some sleep, it's really late, and you look tired," Luna said kindly with a sad smile. Everyone had stopped talking and was hushed now, looking at Tubbo.

"N-no, I can stay up, I _have_ to stay up-" Tubbo started but was interrupted by Dream's sigh.

"You need your rest. There is no reason for you to be staying up late with us when you are just going to sit there and zone out."

"But T-Tommy-"

Phil's face softened with sadness before he spoke, "we will wake you up if Tommy gets here, plus I think he would want you to take care of yourself."

Tubbo only nodded softly. He barely had any energy to keep talking at this point. The panic and tears had taken a lot of energy earlier. Wilbur sat up and walked towards Tubbo.

"I'll take you to where you can sleep...do you...want to sleep in Tommy's room?"

Tubbo paused for a moment before nodding. It would hopefully comfort him, even just a little. It also was the best place for him to stay since everyone seemed to have a room corresponding to them, but Tubbo was too tired to count the rooms to the people present.

Tommy's room is just how Tubbo would expect it. He had only seen what was behind his friend's desk. Still, the rest was pretty accurate to the male's personality: posters all around the area, small collectible items scattered along desks and shelves, and it was a tad bit messy. Tubbo's chest tightened in guilt and sadness, looking at the empty room, a room supposed to be occupied by Tommy's loud presence.

Wilbur could apparently tell that Tubbo was having a hard time, so he put a hand on the teen's shoulder with the best smile he could give at that moment, hoping that his sadness and worry weren't visible.

"We will get Tommy back, I promise you that. We saved him once. We can do it again."

Tubbo only nodded as he walked more into the room, facing the bed, and slowly fell onto it. It was comfortable enough for Tubbo, as he got comfortable under the covers and started to drift off to sleep, hearing the door shut after a moment. He was still extremely worried about Tommy, but his body was getting too tired, and eventually, sleep overtook him.

\-----------------------

Eyes gazing at the blocked-off room, someone bit their lip in worry. They had heard about the child from other people in the family, how that member was mentioning that they had finally caught the kid that had ruined the leader's old gang. If the child had destroyed it all, though, why did the person watching the door feel so uneasy? Why did they think like Tommy shouldn't be in there at all? Tommy was apparently 16, and since Schlatt said how Daemen had watched his friends died 4 years ago, the kid must have been 12 when that all happened.

"How can a 12-year-old be the cause of Daemen's gang's death?" They sighed, asking no one even if a lot of people resided in the room.

"Don't know," A male playing pool by himself, Quackity, shrugged, "I personally think the worst that kid could do was break one of his weapons or be a minor inconvenience, not cause an entire gang to fucking die."

"Do you know what the kid did?"

"Nah, Daemen doesn't like to talk about it."

The other sighed and leaned against the fancy couch, gazing at the door again. No noise came from it as the child was supposed to be knocked out for a while. 

Quackity gave up with the solo game and slumped against the couch, "are you worried about him?" a hushed question came from the usually loud person.

They sat in silence at the question for a few moments, thinking. They barely knew the kid, but there was a nagging feeling in his gut that was somewhat unknown to him.

"I...I don't know. I think I shouldn't because I don't know him and he hurt Daemen, but on the other hand-"

"He is just a kid," Quackity finished the sentence for the person, who nodded.

"Tommy doesn't look like a troublemaker. He is just a kid and a kid who is put into the wrong life."

"Yeah...I guess you are right."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, both thinking for a moment. Quackity had gotten up and started scrolling on his phone, a serious expression on his face, something that rarely happens. He put his phone in his pocket and stared at the other.

"So, what are you going to do about it _Eret_."

Eret bit his lip in anxiety, staring at Quackity.

"I...I don't know yet..."

Quackity nodded, "I've known you for years, and I know you will do what's right, even if it goes against your peers."

And with that, Quackity was gone, leaving Eret in the room by himself.

_You will do what is right, even if it goes against your peers._

What is the 'right' thing to do?

Helping a kid that his gut is pulling him to do or staying loyal to his 'family.'

\-----------------------

"Goddamnit, this is so frustrating!" Luna cried in anger, slamming her notebook onto the table, tears brimming her eyes. She tried to keep it all together, but no answers and no help made it all worse.

"Luna, you need to calm down," Phil tried to be calm, but everyone knew the man was conflicted himself.

"Luna has every right to be frustrated," Dream unfolded his arms as he took a sip of his coffee, "I'm frustrated myself; there are no leads, no information, nothing!"

"This is just like taking down Don's gang," Techno muttered, "we had no proof then, but we were able to take him down."

"That took months, though, Tech!" Wilbur sat up from his spot, looking at all the messy papers and scribbles lining the floor and tables, "who knows what Tommy is going through right now. We don't even fucking know _why_ they took him!"

Sapnap grimaced, "you guys need to be quieter, we are going to wake up Tubbo, and I don't want him worrying more knowing how you guys are acting."

They all fell silent, Luna and Wilbur sliding back onto the couch. They all were worried, confused, angry, sad. It was a mess of emotions. All they knew is they had to get Tommy back, and soon. They all knew this, but how were they going to do it?

The silence was broken by the sobs of Nikki, who had her head in her hands and was crying. Luna's angry face softened, and she wrapped her arms around the other in a comforting hug.

"We will get Tommy back, I promise," Phil said, but everyone could tell the confidence in his voice had wavered.

"It's all my fault if I had just made sure that it was everyone gone, then we wouldn't be here. Tommy would be upstairs sleeping peacefully," Nikki was now crying into Luna's shoulder, who rubbed circles into Nikki's back, whispering hushed, comforting words.

"You didn't know, it is not your fault Nikki. You weren't that close to them, and it was overwhelming. Everyone slips up."

Everyone agreed with Luna. No one was blaming each other for the predicament that they got themselves into. If they had to blame someone, they all could put the blame on themselves altogether.

It was silent for a while except Nikki's sobs; everyone was stumped and tried to think of any possibility that they could take to get Tommy back.

"Wait, if Nikki spied for them and knew all the members, maybe if she could get into contact with them again somehow, and then we could work our way through that," George spoke up, and everyone turned to him.

"But how could she get in contact with them, George?" Techno tilted his head.

"Well...I have an idea myself," Nikki spoke up, pulling her phone out of her pocket and scrolling through something, pulling up a group chat with a small, accomplished smile painted onto her face.

"I have a plan."

\-----------------------

The sun's rays were shining bright on Tubbo's eyes when he had woken up. His head was pounding, and it was making him stay awake instead of going back to sleep. He grumbled unknown words and sat up, looking around drowsily before realizing that this _wasn't his room_. Instead, his best friend's, who had been kidnapped apparently for something a long time ago, and his family is apart of the mafia? Correction, Tommy's family and Tubbo's housemates, who he could consider to be family, were in this mafia. It was so hard to wrap his head around. For now, though, people were talking downstairs, and Tubbo was a bit hungry. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he opened Tommy's door and creep down the stairs. Sadly, he wasn't stealthy and bumped into the railing, wincing. Everyone else was awake and downstairs turned their heads to Tubbo with a quick motion, but they relaxed after seeing who it was.

"Good morning Tubbo," Luna said tiredly and gave a smile. The others just gave a small wave or a smile. 

Tubbo got to the bottom of the stairs and noticed how tired everyone looked. Their eyes were puffy, with dark circles lining the bottom. None of them looked like they got even a minute of sleep the previous night.

"Did...any of you guys sleep last night?" Tubbo asked cautiously as he made his way to the couch where everyone was sitting.

No one responded and looked away back to the table. Snacks laid there all eaten and messily spread around. Cups of hot drinks empty or left too cold to enjoy. Messy papers with scratches of ink and pencil covering them with ideas and plans. It was all proof that none of them slept. Tubbo sighed. He wasn't one to judge and was grateful that they stayed up to help Tommy, and Tubbo wanted to help, even if he couldn't make plans or fight physically.

"Do...do you want me to go to the café down the street and get you guys something to drink?" Tubbo asked shakily. The 7 looked at each other, and Dream sat up and walked over to Tubbo.

"Yeah, let's go," Dream smiled tiredly at Tubbo and tucked a wallet into his back pocket.

\-----------------------

The sun was still coming up, and the cold wind brushed against the two's skin as they walked along the pavement. They didn't say a word to each other. Tubbo shivered as Dream finally spoke.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, concerns, and things like that. If you want, I can do my best to answer some of those questions."

Tubbo thought for a moment, "how long were you guys...associated with Phil."

"Ever since you started living with us, that was around the time me, George, and Sapnap joined the family."

"Was me living with you guys...caused by you joining this...family?"

"Yeah...though you would remember the night we found you."

"I woke up in a hospital. The doctor said I had just fallen off a cliff and gotten a concussion...you were the three the found me that night."

"Pretty much, yeah. We just said that we were family, and we have been taking care of you for the past 6 years; that's pretty much the story. I've said it before, but I'm actually impressed that you had stayed alive that whole time by yourself; it must have been hard."

Tubbo shrugged, "it was alright, only about a week or so. I don't remember much of it, though, so I can't tell you."

Eventually, they had entered the little shop and got everyone drinks, Tubbo ordering something for himself as well. Dream ordered for everyone else as he knew their orders by heart. 

"So...how long have you known Tommy?" Tubbo asked as he carried one of the carriers.

"Phil 'adopted' him 4 years ago. That night is a story Tommy would have to tell you, though, because I wasn't there that night. If you are wondering, no, Tommy doesn't do anything for the family fighting-wise. He's like George, but he isn't allowed to do anything because he is still young, and that's a decision for him to make."

Tubbo fell quiet for a moment, "will Tommy even be able to tell me that story, though...what if he...he dies.."

Dream patted Tubbo's back comfortingly, "if they wanted to kill him, they would have done it already, Tubbo. They want something out of either him or out of us, and don't worry. We will get him back as soon as we can. We are just making sure our plan works out and making extra steps in case something goes wrong."

Tubbo nodded as they entered the large house, setting the drinks on the counter for everyone to grab their respective ones. Tubbo looked at everyone as they went back to planning. They all had more confidence than the previous night, and that is what made Tubbo more reassured. So, he sat down next to them and started listening to the plan and its brainstorming.

They will get Tommy back, and Tubbo will do whatever is needed.


	6. The Garbage Thrown to the Side, I hate it

A chuckle later and the door shut, leaving the whole room surrounded in darkness except for the few flickering lamps here and there. Tommy couldn't count the number of injuries that were in his body now. He didn't know if the reason was that many sedatives were in his system or that he was beaten to a pulp. It _hurt_. Tommy was used to getting into play fights with everyone else, where punches would occur,  
but for some reason, all the bruises seemed to hang lower in his skin, making his body know that they were there and they were not going away for a while. His body tried to rest limply on the metal chair that his wrists and ankles were tied to, very tightly to note.

Tommy didn't know how long he was out for. Had it been a day? A few hours? What made it worse was that there was no way to tell the time in the room that he was locked up in. There were no clocks, and the windows were blocked off. His mind laid in a fuzzy place. All he knew was that he had been awake for about an hour or so. Tommy understood that he had been kidnapped, and he knows who the main abductor was, but besides that, he was in the dark. He hoped that Tubbo was able to escape and was able to get help. It would have meant that Tubbo would most likely figure out that Tommy had been lying to him for a couple years, though. Tommy hoped that Tubbo could forgive him for the lies and help him because Tommy was _terrified_. He felt like he was back to being 12, stuck inside the small closet and used as a punching bag, with no ways of leaving because they could just catch him.

He could barely even see the person that had left the room 5 minutes ago. He only knew that it was Damean due to the voice and body type. Tommy remembered him as the weaker one of the gang, only using his words to beat up the child. Tommy could barely understand that the same person that used to be much weaker was now his captor. Getting beaten up hurts way more now that he hasn't gotten used to it and can't block out the pain. He sighed and leaned back against the chair, trying to give the bonds a relaxing break and ease the rubbing pain on some of his joints. His mind wandered to a memory from a couple years back or so to try and calm his anxious body.

_"Hey Phil, what would happen if I got kidnapped or taken for some reason?" Tommy asked one night, sitting at the kitchen counter while Phil was making dinner. Techno and Wilbur were out doing something that Tommy wasn't aware of._

_Phil had paused for a moment, most likely to think, "I won't let that ever happen to you, Tommy."_

_"But what IF it happens? If they take me as a threat for taking you guys down or something...would you let them kill m-"_

_Phil had dropped a ladle on the floor as he rushed Tommy into a hug. It was warm and comforting like all of Phil's hugs were._

_"Of course not, Toms. If the sheer chance you were taken away and they threatened to kill you, we all would stop at no cost to get you back."_

_"Yeah, I guess you are right," Tommy fell silent and hugged the father figure back softly, "I have another question, Phil."_

_Phil stepped out of the hug and went to go wash the ladle, "what is it?"_

_"How should I act if I get taken? Should I be angry? Should I just let them do what they want? Should I try to escape?"_

_"That is a harder question to answer," Phil mumbled softly, scratching his chin as his eyes pondered through many ideas, "really, it depends on who took you."_

_"It does?"_

_"Well, if you get angry at someone who is usually always angry and can be intimidating, I wouldn't want to show aggression because they could easily win that fight. Sometimes being submissive does more damage as they would like to hurt you more for easily giving up, and for escaping, you would really have to have a thoroughly thought out plan. You would have to know the layout and exists of the building to be able to escape. So, that's not the best option. I would say if you get the opportunity to, then you would have to make that split-second decision to leave or not."_

_"How do you know when you can escape?"_

_"It will be there, you just know, now come to help me with dinner; dream and the other two are coming over apparently, and I need to make more food to provide for them."_

_"This is like the fifth time this month; they're clingy to me."_

_Phil just laughed, a laugh that always made Tommy feel better no matter how upset he was_

The memory of the laugh made Tommy's chest less tight. It was comforting and made Tommy know that he will be fine. He will get out of the position he is in.

Sadly, the hope doesn't stop the feeling of loneliness. Tommy already missed everything that seemed insignificant to him. He missed Wilbur waking him up in such an annoying fashion, Techno's teasing about how the teen woke up, missed Phil's warm smiles as a greeting every morning. It had only been a _day_ (to Tommy) and he was already so alone. Tommy bit his lip and wanted to shrink again. He wanted to cut through the restraints just so he could put himself into a ball, but he was just so _weak_. So weak that he flinched when there was a knock at the door in front of him.

\-----------------------

"Wait, _Nikki_ is just going to walk into the place where Tommy is?" Tubbo questioned as he watched Luna do Nikki's hair and makeup, fixing some hair that fell to the side.

"I mean, she is our spy," Wilbur noted, looking at the dress that Nikki was supposed to wear, an elegant yet short blue dress with some frills on it. It didn't stand out too much, but it was indeed formal. Wilbur was just making sure there were no stains or wrinkles in it.

"Will she be ok?" Tubbo turned to Luna, who just smirked as she finished with some light blue on the other's eyes, moving to get different makeup Tubbo didn't recognize.

"Nikki is the best at what she does, plus she already knows how to act now. It will be a piece of cake to get in and at least help Tommy."

"I wouldn't say I'm that good, Luna, but thanks." Nikki moved some of her hair to the side and went back to staying still.

Techno arrived soon with a fancy-looking purse filled with some items and set it near the dress. Looking content, he sat back down on the couch next to Dream and Sapnap, who were looking over some papers. George was out getting some more food for the others.

"You put everything I asked for in there, Techno?" Phil asked the pink-haired man, who nodded and went through the lost, pulling every item out neatly.

"Luna's painkillers, some small food, a small first aid kit to clean his wounds to be the best we can, and some paper for when Nikki can get a layout of the place."

Phil nodded, "good, thank you, Techno."

Techno just nodded and put everything back into the purse where they originally rested. The tension in the air was calmer than the day before. They had counted this as the second full day since Tommy was taken. It had taken the day back to prepare their plans and make sure Nikki could get in. 

_"So you are still able to get into contact with...Daemen it was?" Phil asked Nikki, who was typing into her phone with a dark look on her face, angry before sighing and setting it down._

_"I am so thankful that he is still an idiot," she groaned and ignored the buzzing as she took a sip of her drink, "he trusts me very easily and says he wants to meet up with me at his new place, letting me meet everyone that's in his family."_

_"Or you are just that good, Nikki," Phil chuckled, and Nikki shook her head as she read the next message._

_"Nah, he is just dumb. More intimidating now that he has Tommy, but an idiot."_

_The air grew somber as Nikki replied, biting her lip. She didn't mention what the messages said, mostly because Nikki knew the others didn't want to know that Daemen's plans were. She tried to forget about reading the messages about torture and breaking the child for information. She knew Tommy would be strong, but she didn't know how strong he could last._

_"How long until you can get him back," Phil said hushed, and seriously, no one else was in the room to hear it._

_"I would have to get the layout and how the building works; give me a week or so, and we will have a plan."_

_"I trust you, Nikki, please."_

_Nikki just smiled and got up, wrapping Phil into a hug, "we all will get him back, Phil. Everyone will do their best."_

__

"Ok, that should be good," Luna screwed the cap back onto a silvery tube, placing it back into her small bag and handing Nikki a mirror, who looked at herself for a moment and gave Luna a thumbs up.

"Thank you for doing this."

Luna just smiled and patted Nikki's shoulder, "anytime, Nikki. You were too shaky anyway."

A shaky chuckle emerged from the group; they all were stressed, and it showed, but they were confident now that they will work things out. Nikki got up and grabbed her dress, going into another room to change into it differently. Coming out soon after, looking very comely.

"You look like a different person Nikki," Tubbo commented, and that caused Nikki to laugh and smiled.

"That is the point Tubbo, I need to look similar to what I did 4 years ago."

"Time check?" Dream asked, looking around for the time. Wilbur looked down at his phone.

"5:45pm."

Nikki yanked the purse off the couch, made sure she had everything in it and rushed to grab the other things she needed.

"Gotta go now! Which one of your cars am I taking?"

"Mine, keys are by the door!" Phil shouted, and Nikki nodded, grabbing them and opening the door.

"Stay safe!" Everyone seemed to yell at her, and she looked back with a thumbs up and shut the door, closing the room into anxious silence as they waited for their dinner to arrive—no one knowing what to say.

\-----------------------

Eret looked around the hallway for anyone that was nearby. They tried to listen to footsteps from others. They were alone and were trying to secretly bring some food for Tommy. Daemen mentioned how he didn't plan on feeding the other for a very long time. Eret knew that if Daemen wanted to get information from the teen, the teen would have to be alive. That is what they told themself to cover up the unfamiliar emotions and unknown guilt to Tommy. It was all to help Daemen, right?

They looked around one more time, and before they made sure the coast was clear, a finger poked at their shoulder and covered Eret's mouth to muffle the surprised noise that came from their mouth. Eret whipped their head around and saw Quackity standing there, a finger to his mouth to shush the other.

"Jesus man, it's just me."

"S-sorry, Quackity. You just scared me."

"So you ended up being on the kid's side and going against Daemen?" Quackity nodded, and Eret shook their head.

"N-no, I was just feeding him a little so he doesn't die and so he can provide some information."

Quackity gave a low laugh, Eret tilting their head at the other.

"Your voice went up like 2 octaves there. You are obviously lying to yourself because you don't lie to me. After all, I'm just that good."

"Aren't you going to....tell the others that I'm going behind Daemen's back? I mean, I am breaking the rules."

"Like I said, you only do what you think is right, and I respect you for following only your opinions, and Damean is an asshole, and I don't like him."

Eret snickered for a moment, trying to keep their grip steady on the tray of a proper meal. It was some soup and crackers. They were easy on the stomach and were good enough for the moment. They went back to looking around, and Quackity rolled his eyes.

"Dude, no one is going to come down to this sweaty hellhole. Apparently, a girl related to the old gang was able to get into contact with Daemen, and she is coming over tonight."

"If she was related to the old gang, wouldn't she want to come down here and see for herself that he is here?"

Quackity cursed to himself slightly and looked at his phone to see the time.

"Ok, she should be here at 6; if I can say the right things, I could stall them for about 30 minutes. You need to be done in 40minutes, Eret. That should be enough time to get him to eat."

Eret nodded as they raised a fist to knock, letting the other know that they were entering. Quackity stopped them one more time.

"Earn his trust, and make sure he trusts me, loser."

Eret rolled their eyes and knocked softly but loudly enough for the other to know their presence as he opened the door, watching Quackity go upstairs. Eret entered the room only lightened with lanterns, and they tried to find the light switch, turning the lights all on and seeing the teen for the first time. Eret first noticed how awful he looked, dull eyes and body littered with bruises of all colors. Eret stared at Tommy, who seemed to try to act either calm or aggressive.

"Hey...I just came to talk to you and give you something to eat...I don't want to hurt you..."

"How am I supposed to believe you dickhead," the kid rasped, leaning back into his chair but eyes glaring at Eret, who sighed and cautiously walked closer to Tommy.

"I do not know how to make you believe me, but I have food...it's just some soup and crackers because I don't know what you like, or well how good you are with food right now."

Tommy stayed silent and eyed the food suspiciously as Eret set the tray down on a small table near the chair and carefully walked near Tommy, who was preparing for a hit or slash of some sort.

Eret thought to themself of how bad the kid looked for only being there for two days. Daemen clearly had his fun in here. Eret held up their hands and walked behind Tommy, gently undoing the restraints. If Tommy tries to escape, Eret knows that they are strong enough to restrain the former. They untied the wrists first and waited a few moments to see the reaction. Tommy just rolled them out and separated them with uneasiness. Eret quickly did the ankles and waited for Tommy to shoot out of his seat and run to the door, but he didn't. All Tommy did was look at Eret as the older one stood up. Tommy just awkwardly sat there.

"Aren't you going to do something to be bastard?"

Eret shook their head, "no, I know how tight those can be, and it is not fair to have them like that, so I just wanted to undo them for you...also so you can feed yourself."

"Why the fuck are you doing this?" Tommy growled at Eret as he grabbed the tray and inspected for potential poisons that Eret could have inflicted into the soup.

"If I said I didn't know why, would you believe me?"

Tommy paused for a moment as he gently tasted the soup, finding out that it wasn't spiked. He continued to softly eat, shooting looks at Eret from time to time.

"I believe that. I still do not trust you, though. You probably are going to-"

Tommy was stopped by the doorbell ringing throughout the house, causing Tommy to drop the spoon.

"What other fucking idiots did you invite to beat my ass up. I am not giving out any information."

Eret looked at Tommy and bit their lip, "this girl from the old gang apparently got in contact somehow, and she wants to.....come over."

Tommy seemed shocked at the statement before carefully setting the spoon down.

"What's her name?"

Eret looked at Tommy with confusion. Why would someone who was going to get attacked by the guest worrying about their name?

"I'll have to ask Quackity because I don't know. I think he is holding them off for a bit so you can eat. It won't be up for long, so please try to eat quickly."

Tommy scoffed and went back to eating. Eret could see the male enjoying the soup and was actually happy the teen was eating. They knew that it was a bit of trust gained from the food. It would be a shaky start, but hopefully, they could trust each other.

"Oh, Uh Tommy, do you have any favorite foods or drinks? Feeding you just soup is going to get old soon. I can't do anything too big, though, since you aren't...supposed to be eating."

"First of all, I want to know your name," Tommy stated as he finished the food and slid the tray to Eret, who picked it up and placed it on the table.

"Eret."

Tommy made a noise of affirmation before listing what snacks and food he would like. Eret took a mental note of it all and grimaced at the footsteps upstairs.

"You have to tie me up again, don't you?" Tommy knew what was coming up and didn't object to it, stretching his limbs before sitting back into the chair, awaiting his fate.

Eret sighed and nodded, walking up to the chair and grabbing the previously discarded rope. He had stopped when he noticed the awful rope marks on the joints. 

"Oi, aren't you on a time constraint, dumbass?" Tommy said, but it was quieter than the words were.

Eret didn't say anything. They just sighed and restrained Tommy but made sure to make the rope less tight. Daemen wouldn't notice as long as it doesn't become undone. Tommy noticed, though.

"Goin' all soft there bitch boy?"

"Rather have you able to move when you leave."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Who says I'm leaving?"

"I am."

"Why?"

Eret finished tying everything up and made sure it wasn't too tight nor too loose. They stood up and ignored the question, walking back to the table with the tray and turning back to Tommy.

"I'll be back soon."

"Dickhead you never answered my question-"

Eret had turned off the lights and shut the door before the statement was finished, leaving Tommy alone again. Eret knew they would be back and hoped the male could hold out for a bit longer.

Eret managed to get the tray to the kitchen, and just as he sat down, he heard three voices enter the room. He recognized two of them: Quackity and the other being Daemen; the final was the new female who had entered the room.

"Ah, Eret, you finally decided to stop being cooped up downstairs!" Quackity walked up to his friend, placed a hard hand on their shoulder, and muttered something only the two heard.

"How'd it go?"

Eret sighed, "we'll talk later," then they walked up to the female stranger and held their hand out.

"My name is Eret, a pleasure to meet you, Ms-"

"Il-" She started with a smile and raised her hand but was interrupted with Daemen pushed her hand out of the way.

"Illy. Her name is Illy".

Illy just looked slightly annoyed with this but stayed silent with a kind nod. Daemen didn't seem to care about the female's emotions, and that made Eret annoyed. 

Quackity noticed the annoyed aura from Eret and dragged them aside, "See you around, Illy, remember how amazing I am." Illy let out a small chuckle before waving at the two. Eret could tell it had a forced feeling to it.

"C'mon, we have to go finish our game of pool." Quackity lied out loud as he dragged Eret down the stairs and into the small room with the pool table and couch. Quackity went back to messing around on the pool table, and Eret was on the couch. They were silent for a few moments before Quackity started.

"So, did it go well?"

"Better than expected, worse than I imagined."

"The hell does that mean?"

"He didn't attack me or anything, but he looked worse than I thought."

"Mm." Quackity softened for a moment, "did ya mention me?"

Eret had a small smile curl on their lips before it left, "once, mentioned you holding Daemen and Illy off for a moment, he was also was interested in Illy."

"I can see why."

Eret tilted their head over to Quackity, "explain?"

"Illy doesn't seem interested in Daemen or even being here. She seems more 'focused' on Tommy."

"Like in a bad way?"

"Dunno'"

"Can you ask Illy about why she is focused on him?"

"Focused on who?"

The two in the room flung their heads to see Illy standing there, her kind face was more serious, and she was clutching her purse.

"Why are you down here? I thought Daemen didn't want to leave your side or something?" Quackity straightened up, raising a brow. Illy just gave a cold laugh.

"Was able to wander on my own now, now answer my question, _who_ am I focused on?"

Eret and Quackity looked at each other and shrugged, Eret speaking up this time.

"Tommy?"

Illy's face stayed the same, but her eyes flickered with fury.

"Yeah, I am focused on that brat. Why do you two worry about that?"

Her voice was filled with venom, and both Eret and Quackity shuddered.

"It's nothing, Illy. Just everyone so focused on our little hostage."

Illy sat down on the couch next to Eret and sighed with annoyance, "Daemen have any plans for him? He didn't mention anything to me, but I think I deserve to know."

Eret didn't know, and they didn't know if Quackity knew, so they turned their head to him, and he shrugged.

"Somethin' about using him as leverage against that leader Phil and his family, apparently? I'm sure he wants to do worse, though, probably use him for something."

Eret could see Illy shift uncomfortably, looking away for a moment.

"They were the ones who killed everyone and took Tommy with them, away from us."

"So obviously you are mad at them, want revenge on them?" Quackity mumbled, eyeing Illy.

"Of course, they killed the people I care about," Illy said darkly.

Eret just sat there, not knowing what to say and just watching the two interact. All Eret was noticing, though, was Quackity's posture was odd. He seemed really serious and maybe a bit suspicious?

"If you cared, name one of them that isn't Daemen."

Eret was confused. They turned to Illy, who backed back into the couch and bit her lip. She was glaring for a moment but didn't say anything. Quackity turned, so his entire body was facing Illy, a smirk on his face.

"So, Illy," he stared, Eret's eyes darted to Quackity, but he didn't meet them if he noticed them, "why are you _really here_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Favourtie character to write ended with Luna  
> New favourite character to write is Quackity


	7. And You...You Lay Awake at Night and Scheme

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops, cats out of the bag. RIP Nikki trying to be stealthy

"So, Illy, why are you _really here_?"

Nikki could feel her stomach tighten at the question. She didn't know how to answer the question. This Quackity person was onto her, and lying could only dig herself more into a bad position. She had been slipping up more today; maybe she should have just stayed back that night to mentally prepare. She looked back at Quackity, her glare still standing, but it seemingly melted away when the male just burst out laughing.

"God, this is priceless."

"I'm confused; why are you laughing?" Nikki lowered her harsh voice, almost switching to her normal one.

"You are Phil's spy, Nikki, right? You really are good at confusing dumb people."

"I'm-"

"Don't worry, I have no plans on saying who ya are to Daemen. I just find it funny that you are supposed to be the best at your act, and here you are, messing up on your little rescue mission."

"It's not a rescue mission..." Nikki said softly, and Quackity nodded, sending something on his phone.

"But you are here for Tommy, right?" Nikki saw Eret finally speak up, and she turned her head to them, nodding slightly.

"Well, I'm gonna stall Dickmem for a bit; you two can go talk to the boy or whatever."

"Didn't you want to earn his trust or some shit, Quackity? Why are you talking to Daemen now?" Eret looked over at their friend with a suspicious brow raise; their sunglasses hid how his actual eyes spoke.

"He will feel overwhelmed with me around, plus Daemen would want to speak to Illy, or should I say, Nikki, soon if no one talks to him, adios mis amigos."

"Quackity, don't you hate talking to him? Are you sure you don't want to at least try and introduce yourself to Tommy?" Eret spoke to him. Quackity just shrugged.

"Dude, you are overthinking this. I have no reason to talk to him right now, especially with Nikki around."

"And why do I get to believe that you aren't going to go speak to Daemen?" Nikki finally spoke up, and Quackity shrugged.

"Look, missy, I have no reason to betray the one person that I have stuck around my whole life. Sure, I could have a reason or two to betray you if I really thought, but right now, all I want to do is do what I like, and that is pissing Daemen off right now."

And with that, Quackity was up the stairs and gone; Nikki turned her head to Eret, who just sighed.

"Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about someone like him. He may seem like a dick, but he is really a good person who wants to help me and now you."

"And that brings up another question, why are you caring about your leader's hostage? Shouldn't you like...being taking me or letting Daemen know that I am against him and here to screw him over?"

Eret paused at that as they got up and motioned Nikki to follow them down a hallway; she hesitantly did, after grabbing her purse in case she needed her self-defense items.

"Can you tell me about that night, the one 4 years ago?" Eret asked, not looking back at Nikki as they stopped in the hallway.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Did Tommy do it?"

"Do...what?"

"Kill that gang, or cause the death of it?"

Nikki could feel her blood go cold, a slight ringing in her ears.

"Why would you ask that?"

"That is why Daemen wants Tommy because apparently, he is the reason they all died that night."

"Daemen is fucking wrong," Nikki raised her voice, "Tommy was _hiding_ from us that night! He was shaking and crying. He thought we were going to kill him!"

"So you have been their spy for that long? You never really cared about that group?" Eret sighed to try and calm the female down.

"I was the reason they died. I gave the location out. Never gave one shit about them and was glad when they fell."

Eret motioned Nikki to a door and gently knocked before creaking it open and motioning Nikki to enter. She eyed them with suspicion but calmly entered, on edge in case it was a trap.

She almost cried when she saw Tommy tied up in that chair. Nikki looked to Eret, who shut the door and said in a hushed voice, "do what you need; I can't get bandages because they will know, but I can get almost anything you need. Please keep it calm though, can't risk having them know you are in here."

Nikki slid to Tommy, who had just started to open his eyes and was staring right at her.

"Ni....Nikki?" He managed to say, and Nikki nodded.

"Yes, it's me, Tommy; I'm right here."

Nikki saw the restraints and looked at Eret, who nodded, and she flew them off, engulfing the teen into a huge hug, making sure that this was the real Tommy before her and not some sick joke or dream.

She was brought back to it when she heard Tommy wince in pain, so she instantly shot out of the hug and looked at the bruises and slashes with more depth. She was ready to kill whoever had even decided to do this to Tommy. She knew it was only Daemen, and Nikki was more than prepared to make sure he has the most painful death out there. She was stopped from her thoughts when she heard Tommy speak up.

"Nikki...?"

"Hm?"

"Is...is Tubbo ok?"

Nikki almost melted at the question. Tommy worrying about his friend was so sad given the situation, and it also made her happy by how much Tommy cared about his friend.

"Tubbo is safe at home; the next time I come, maybe I will have him write to you, and you can write back, or I could bring your phone, and you two could text."

"That would be...nice...I'm glad that he is ok. Can you apologize to him for me?"

"No, because you will do it when you get out of here."

"Bitch, I had one request," Tommy mumbled in a joking matter.

Nikki smiled before she reached into her bag and pulled out a syringe with a somewhat foggy liquid with no colors present. She could see Tommy eye it with suspicion and even a bit of worry before she tried to reassure him.

"Luna made painkillers for you. Since it is too risky to treat most of the wounds, she just wanted to try and make you be in the least amount of pain possible; she said the effects would start in about 10 minutes."

Tommy just nodded, and Nikki felt around some skin before softly injecting the needle's contents into Tommy. She slumped back for a moment before digging into her purse and pulling out the first aid kit.

"Didn't you just say that it is too risky to treat my wounds?" Tommy barely spoke up. Nikki nodded but proceeded to open the small case and pull out the needed tools. At some point, Eret was also nearby, helping.

"Yeah, but it is best to at least try and clean your wounds," Nikki said softly before softly grabbing Tommy's arm and began to clean some of the more open wounds. She would frequently apologize when Tommy would wince or flinch.

It was over soon enough, and Tommy was barely speaking. Eret tried to express worry on the matter, but Nikki said that drowsiness was something Luna had said could have been a side effect of the medicine she had provided. So, she would expect Tommy to barely even be awake at this point.

The two had stayed in that room for about an hour, Nikki doing her best to treat anything on Tommy and Eret sometimes checking their phone to make sure that Quackity was still keeping Daemen occupied. Somewhere around the 30-minute mark, Quackity had convinced Daemen that Illy was bathing and that she didn't want other people bothering her. All Daemen did was laugh at the fact that she must have been comfortable there enough.

The two did decide that they had to leave after a bit, though, since who knows how long Daemen would be occupied until he got bored and wanted to blow off steam. They made sure to cover up that they were never in the room in the first place. Nikki said goodbye to Tommy, but he didn't respond since he was most likely asleep.

They both sat in a small room slightly farther than the one with the pool table, but it still had its couch and a little TV. The two didn't know that they wanted to say or ask each other at first until Nikki broke the silence.

"Why are you helping him?" She asked softly, voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't fully know yet. I just want to do what I believe is right, even if I have to betray the ones I am with. Doesn't make too much sense-"

"Makes enough sense to me; that's kinda how I work too."

Eret hummed for a moment, "so you have known him for 4 years?"

Nikki made a noise to confirm the statement.

"He seems like a difficult kid, good at heart, but difficult."

"He is very loud, but I like that about him. He is very bright, and it helps everyone around him lighten up."

"Daemen really wants to break him; I'm sure you have a plan for that, right?"

"By any means necessary, I will get him out of this hell hole. Maybe even kill Daemen while I am at it. It will take about a week, though, to get everything thoroughly planned out. Rushing in will never do anything well; it could even make things worse."

\-----------------------

The two sat in another long silence, finding it somewhat awkward, but both had no desire to fix the beginning moments' tension. They didn't have any other questions that they wanted to ask each other about. Nikki was obviously worried and hated being away from Tommy. All she wanted to do was help, and many factors added a lot of anxiety to her shoulders. Eret wanted to at least try to help ease some of it. Now that they had set their mind on assisting Tommy, they were ready to do anything that was needed.

"What can I do to help?" They asked, looking at Nikki, who thought for a moment before pulling out a and pen. She handed it to them with a sigh.

"Can you get the full layout? It could be somewhat suspicious if I am just walking around and writing random things here and there. With you, I am sure they will just turn a blind eye."

Eret nodded and took the pad and pen. It was a simple task for him as they had lived in that building for a couple of years at that point. It was also easy for them to walk around as people are used to seeing him around, mostly going unnoticed.

"I'll get it done tomorrow since it is late and the house is really loud around this time, and I don't really want to be dragged into anything tonight."

"I get that," Nikki sat up and looked at the time on her phone, frowning softly before grabbing her purse, "I think I am going to head back to my place for the night."

"Seriously? Don't you need to like...always be here for Tommy?"

"Don't worry, I will be here tomorrow, around midday if I can. I can't afford to jump into the full act right away. If I am so willing to stay here all the time on day 1, I am sure someone is going to notice besides you and Quackity."

"I get that...do you want me to escort you out, so you don't run into any issues?"

"I think I will be fine but thank you for the offer, Eret."

Nikki sat up and looked around the room before grabbing the pen from Eret and writing a number on the pad's corner.

"There's my number. If you need any help with Tommy, I can help."

She smiled at Eret and left the room. It was relatively quick, and soon afterward, Quackity piled himself into the room and fell onto the couch, where Nikki was previously, looking really tired.

"It isn't even 10 pm, and you already look dead."

"I think Daemen grilled every single fuckin' bit of energy out of me in that hour that I was talking to him. You are such a dick for leaving me with him."

Eret chuckled, "you were the one that sacrificed yourself and said that you would talk to him; I even told you not to do it."

Quackity grumbled and pulled a pillow up to his head and laid on it, closing his eyes while Eret went back to writing little notes on a different paper from the pad.

"You're writing obnoxiously fuckin loud for someone who usually is quiet."

Eret shrugged, "I'm just writing down small ideas on what we can do."

"...Any luck?"

"Some work, some don't."

"I have an idea."

"What is it, Quackity?"

"Let's burn this mother fucker to the ground."

\-----------------------

As late-night came to the house with everyone else, everyone was awake besides Nikki and Tubbo. Tubbo stated he would take a break but ended up passing out, and Nikki returned and didn't even say anything as she went up to her room.

The others were tiredly sitting on the couch, not even saying anything to each other. They all were exhausted from not getting a blink of sleep in the past two days. Phil sighed and looked at everyone.

"Ok, I want you all to go get some rest. You all look very tired, and you all need your sleep."

"It's fine; I can stay up just a little bit longer," Sapnap mumbled, and the others nodded to that.

"I don't _care_ that you can stay up longer. You all are going to go get some sleep, including me."

"But what about-" Luna started, but Wilbur cut her off as he stood up, stretching softly.

"It will be fine. He's right anyway. We should be getting some sleep if we want to achieve anything."

It took a moment, but everyone finally agreed and made their way to their rooms. There was barely any noise coming from the 7 as they shuffled into the respective rooms. Some mumbled a good night before disappearing.

The problem Phil was facing was that it was hard for him to sleep. Hell, he could barely just sit down on his bed without wanting to pace around the room in a frenzy. He was so worried about Tommy, even when Nikki had texted him saying that it was better than expected, she still didn't mention what she had seen. Maybe she could have been lying to try and make Phil less worried.

The thoughts kept zooming here and there. Worries making it hard to stay calm, and ideas that were all flawed in ways meant they could not be taken out.

The guilt had almost suffocated Phil. It was terrible recently, but it felt the worst at that moment. He didn't know what he could have done to protect Tommy, but if he hadn't gotten caught up and actually focused more that night, maybe Tommy would be safely sleeping in his room or talking to Tubbo until the sun was shining. He missed Tommy's screeching at 3am more than anything right now.

Soon enough, it was 2 am. Phil hadn't fallen asleep yet unless you count being lost in your thoughts as sleeping. He had sighed and looked out the window and at the moon shining down.

He almost jumped when he heard a knock at his door. It grounded him for the moment, and he opened it, seeing a tired Techno standing there.

"What are you doing up this late? Thought you were sleeping."

"Could ask you the same thing," Techno said softly as Phil let him into his room, and Techno sat on a small armchair nearby, Phil sitting on his bed.

"Is everyone else asleep?" Phil asked softly.

"Yeah, no one is awake. It's quiet here for the first time in a while."

Phil gave a low chuckle, "I would think that you would like it without being awoken by screaming at 3 am."

Techno softly frowned, "I thought that as well, but it's now too quiet. I don't like it."

"I hope he's ok."

"I'm sure he has annoyed them to the point where they just left him there, which makes it easier for us."

"I'll have to ask Nikki about it later."

Techno shifted in the chair, "what did she say the situation was like?"

"Not very detailed about it, unfortunately. She just said that she got there easily and was able to see Tommy."

"How is he?"

"...Nikki just said that she was able to talk to him and have a conversation. There were no serious injuries, but she wasn't descriptive about it at all."

"I'll ask her more about it in the morning if you want me to."

"No, it's fine Techno, I'm sure she has it under control. She said that she will be able to have the layout by tomorrow, which is way faster than she thought."

"Did she say when she plans on going back there tomorrow?"

"Not yet."

Techno nodded and sighed, looking at the small digital clock on Phil's nightstand and looked back at Phil.

"You really need to get some sleep. I know you are worried; everyone here is worried. We all depend on you, though, and I am sure we all would fall apart if we didn't have someone like you telling us what to do."

Phil smiled tiredly, "You make it seem like I boss you all around."

"I mean, that is kind of your role, but nah. We all work together, and without you, we wouldn't be a complete team."

"Thanks, Tech; I am going to try and sleep now; you should too."

Techno nodded and got up from the chair and left the room, but he stopped at the door for a moment.

"It will work out, ok? You will hear his loud screaming soon, I promise."

Phil smiled and let out a soft thank you before Techno shut the door, going to his respective room to fall asleep himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so rushed I know, I hope it doesn't affect the quality too much. Thank you all so much for the support that you have shown!


	8. Hey Who Could it Be, Hey Someone Tell Me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im on 4 Capri Suns and Half a bottle of Gatorade shush

Eret sat softly in the dark room with Tommy, who was eating the food they had brought for him that morning. It was another day, with just the three having to lay low. Quackity was upstairs with Nikki, going over something. Eret guesses it was related to the plan they were hopefully going to carry out soon.

Tommy was getting louder then Eret had first seen him. The bruises were worse, but that didn't seem to bother him all the much. He was energized when Nikki came in a few minutes before to administrate the painkillers. It had been the fifth day of this, and Tommy just blinked for a moment after it happened instead of wincing. Niki shrugged that he might now be used to the pricking pain, but Eret thought something else. Nikki listened, though, and she said if anything happens, just let her know, and she will contact the female who made them. 

Eret watched as Tommy finished his breakfast and reached towards a phone. Nikki had mentioned that Tommy and one of his friends, Tubbo, were now going to text each other. She said it will make both Tommy and Tubbo feel better about the situation. 

Eret sighed and looked to the door. They were getting more uneasy about what they were doing. Quackity kept saying Daemen was too dumb to realize what's going on, and since Tommy was pretending to be in pain and such, he wasn't catching on yet. Quackity had laughed to Eret and Nikki about the fact that he was able to bring 10 litres of gasoline into the house at night without anyone batting an eye.

Nikki was staying there more and more. The previous night, she had stayed at the mansion, awake the whole time. She said that her leaving and coming back so frequently could raise suspicion. Even if it was a low chance, no one could take that risk.

They were anxious for the day when they were going to set the mansion ablaze. Nikki didn't hold much attachment. She was more worried about getting Tommy out there without Daemen noticing. Eret did not really care about anyone else in the house besides Quackity, so he couldn't care about having them all burn. The only exception was Schlatt, as Quackity's friend and the guy didn't really seem to like the whole situation they all were in. Schlatt never caused trouble and usually helped, so Eret knew Quackity would soon spill the plan or the full story.

Loud footsteps were approaching, and both Tommy and Eret perked up. Tommy kicked the plate and phone into a corner where the darkness would keep it hidden, and he jumped into the chair. Eret prepared to explain why they were in there. 

All tension eased when Quackity slammed the door open, Nikki following afterwards. Both had looks of soft uneasiness on their faces. Eret sighed as Tommy eased back onto the floor. Eret turned to the two as they shut the door.

"Dude, what the hell was that? You can't just slam the door open like that and not expect Tommy and me to get scared?"

Quackity grumbled an apology.

"Yeah, I would rather worry more about another thing than whether or not you two get scared."

Eret tilted their head at Quackity. A lump of anxiety started to form in their throat.

"What's wrong?" Eret asked softly, turning to Nikki, who was biting her lip.

"Daemen," Quackity hissed, "is catching onto Nikki. He hinted to her earlier that he knows what she is doing is not right."

Fuck. Eret grimaced. This was not good; this _really_ was not good. If Daemen is catching onto Nikki, then there's no doubt that he is catching onto Quackity and Eret.

"How?" Was the only thing they could say, "How did he find out?"

"He hasn't found out, _yet_ ," Nikki said softly, "but he did say how I need to stop focusing on Tommy, and he knows someone is talking to him."

"Obviously, the suspicion is on Nikki since she arrived when it started, so we need to start adjusting things to make it off of Nikki," Quackity shrugged as he sat down on a dusty couch.

"What about us?" Eret asked Quackity, who shook his head as he looked at Tommy, who was clearly antsy about the topic. They really should have gone somewhere else to not worry the teen.

"Nothing on us yet. I think it is because we switch out so many times, and we are visible when the gang is busy."

Eret nodded and looked at the small pad Nikki gave to them earlier. The floor plan was in Nikki's possession, but she had let them hold onto the notepad. They had then started using it for notes on the plan itself. Really, it is the only paper anyone would find in the building, and it was small enough to be discreet.

The plan was set to be in full motion in three days. It was the best opening they had and the easiest. But if Daemen was catching on, would they have to make it sooner?

Tommy seemed to have the same thought, "are you guys moving the plan to something like tonight or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is too dangerous," Quackity shut the idea down instantly, "there's a party that we all are supposed to be attending, remember?"

"Why can't you guys use that to your advantage?" Tommy asked with his head tilted, holding Nikki's phone in his hand gently. It was a good idea. Tommy had heard Nikki say she had used it before countless times.

"Daemen would be all over Nikki. There would be no way she could slip away for more than three minutes before suspicion arises," Eret rubbed their chin.

"And?" Tommy said, almost amused, "I don't know if I now have a concussion or some shit, but I am counting 4 people that know this plan. Nikki and I are taken out of it; that leaves two. You two are naturally disconnected from the group, so two are almost invisible at the party. No one would notice you two gone."

"But how are we going to get you out of here? Our plan was to have Nikki escort you out of this room as the fire is starting. If she is up with everyone else when it starts, then she can't get here," Eret questioned the teen. Tommy shrugged for a moment.

"And I can't waltz out of this room even when we know no one is watching. I can't sit outside forever since people will figure out eventually who opened the door and never came back. Plus, if any moment this room gets checked in the time frame when if I were to leave and when you start the fire, there will be huge issues."

The group sat in silence for a while. All were thinking about what they could do and what could be the best option. They all knew they could not wait three days. They would have to do it either that night, the next night, or their last chance being the night after that. If they waited longer, issues would arise, and they could lose Nikki, and Tommy could get into a worse predicament.

Eret sighed. "We can't do it tonight. It is too late to prep everything and complete the plan. Tommy is right. We can use the party to our advantage. We can use the fire to somehow separate Nikki from Daemen and get Tommy out of here during the chaos."

Nikki frowned, "but the question is _how_ are we going to pull that off? It would raise so much suspicion if one of us suddenly runs downstairs when there is a fire upstairs."

Tommy thought, "why don't we have Nikki slip to the downstairs bathroom, start the fire upstairs, and say how she can't get through because of the fire? There's a way up to other than those stairs, right?"

Quackity nodded, but there was hesitance to it, "yeah, but it is harder to reach, and it also is known for not being able to be opened. We will have to break that door down if we want any chance of getting out of here."

"It is a risk I am sure everyone is willing to take to get out of here. Plus, it is our safest bet. The door leads to the side of the house, so we wouldn't be noticed until we are far gone," Eret nodded. 

Nikki smiled at the new plan and had Tommy hand her phone back to her for a moment as she wrote something down in a notes app. It was all falling together—Nikki's determined smile. Quackity's smirk, and the hope glossing in Tommy's eyes, Eret knew that they had something down. It may not be substantial, but they needed to take the risk anyway.

"We can start pouring the gasoline around in the backrooms upstairs," Quackity stated, sitting up from the couch and started pacing around the room, listing off what they were going to do the following night.

"If we stock all of the gasoline into the furthest areas where the party won't is, we could start the fire and stir everything. By the time the fire has reached the point of being noticeable, we can slip away because it is too much, and everyone will have to either run or they get stuck inside."

"We just have to be careful. I can run out with everyone so the blame won't be pinned straight at me. Eret or Quackity can get Tommy out during the chaos, and then we are set. We can run after we have everyone here secured," Nikki cheered. A smile that made everyone in the room also smile at it. They were all going to get out if the hell they were in.

There was only one problem with the resolution to Eret. They sighed and turned to their friend for many years.

"What are we going to do, Quackity?"

Quackity laughed, "do what we did before we got here. We can float around until we secure a stable landing somewhere. Maybe I will start up a casino, and you can help me!"

Eret rolled their eyes, but a smile was on their face, "maybe so. You've always had a knack for something like that, huh?"

"Hey, you can't blame me for wanting some money on me. We would be rolling in fresh dough everyday! No one can tell us what to do, and we can do what _we_ want."

Tommy and Niki smiled at the interaction between friends. It was nice to see the two know what they were going to do once everything gets settled.

Tommy knew what he wanted to do the moment he got out of the hellhole. He was going to have a nice meal at the diner with everyone. He and Tubbo will be able to have a nice, long conversation about everything. Tommy can apologize for lying, and he will clear up anything Tubbo wants to know. It was going to be ok. The group had everything under control.

"So this is what has been going on, huh?" A snarky voice behind the group made them all freeze with fear. Their smiles were gone instantly.

Fuck.

\-----------------------

Wilbur sat on his bed. Fatigue drained over him as he was tossed into his thoughts. Everyone was sent to bed that night after Phil said that Nikki told him there was nothing left to do. Everything was set up, and she was confident in the success of it.

Wilbur still couldn't sleep, his mind just wanting to see Tommy again. He wanted to engulf his brother in the biggest hug and never let go. He wanted to just hear Tommy at least whisper something to him. He wanted to have Tommy wake him up at midnight, requesting a song, or wanting to just sing with him. It hurt Wilbur so much, and he felt so guilty about it. Even when Luna or Phil reassured that there was nothing he could have done, he still blamed himself.

Wilbur shot his head up to a few knocks on his closed door. It creaked open and revealed Techno standing there and sliding his way into Wilbur's room and sitting on the beanbag next to the other's bed.

"Haven't seen you in my room in a while Tech, what brings you into my room on a night like this?" Wilbur tried to joke, but his voice came off as tired and worn out.

Techno softly smiled and looked at a specific object hanging on a small mount. It was Wilbur's guitar. Something the other hadn't used in a week or so.

"What? You want me to play you something this late?" Wilbur asked Techno as he softly took his guitar down and set it in his lap. It felt nice being able to hold it after everything going on. It was his comfort item, after all.

"Yeah, why don't you play one of your songs," Techno leaned back, prepared for the small performance. Wilbur softly smiled and prepared his body to play. His fingers started to strum, and his voice danced.

_ Wasting your time  
You're wasting mine  
Hate to see you leaving  
Fate worse than dying _

Techno hadn't heard this one in a while. He had mentioned to Wilbur that this one was one of his favourites, beside Losing Face. But the latter song was probably too loud, for it is 12AM.

_ Your city gave me asthma  
That's why I'm fucking leaving  
Your water gave me cancer  
The pavement hurt my feelings _

Techno smiled at his brother and listened to him play. He could already tell that Wilbur was calming down slightly. How his shoulders had gone more relaxed, and his movements started going to a flowy state rather than being stiff.

_ Shout at the wall  
Because the walls don't fucking love you  
Shout at the wall  
Because the walls don't fucking love you _

Techno's hums to the melody had started to morph into him singing along. Even if it was a quiet tone, it was still a combined vocal.

_ There's a reason  
London puts barriers on the rails  
There's a reason  
London puts barriers on the tube line  
There's a reason  
London puts barriers on the rails  
There's a reason  
London puts barriers on the tube line  
There's a reason  
They fail _

They both finished signing. Wilbur huffing for air, and Techno just taking deeper breaths than usual. Wilbur looked over and made eye contact with Techno before the two started laughing.

"It's been a while since we have hung out like this. I miss being able to do this."

Wilbur nodded in agreement and slid his guitar a bit further from him. Leaning against his bed, he spoke to his brother.

"It has. I also miss it. We used to do this all the time before everything really got serious."

"..."

"..."

"It is quiet around here without him."

"Yeah, it really is."

Wilbur and Techno sat in a sad silence for some moments before Wilbur leaned in and hugged Techno. Techno tensed for a moment before hugging back.

"Remember the night Phil first found you?" Wilbur said softly.

"Yeah, what about you?"

"Of course, I remember. It was the day our lives were saved after all."

"Mhm, he really did."

It was another while of silence before the two went down memory lane together.

"I think the only reason Phil found us was because you punched that one dude, Tech."

"Pfft, nah. I think Phil would have found us anyway."

"After that night, we then got Nikki and Luna together, and then Dream and George and Sap. Then, Tommy."

"It's been a while since that night, huh?"

"It's only been four years. But, it has been a while. It's come really far since then."

Wilbur nodded, looking out the window and at the stars.

"You clung onto him before I did Tech, admit it."

"No. That was you."

"Un-huh."

The two laughed again. It wasn't too cheerful though it was sad. The two males in the room were still upset over everything that had been going on recently. Of course, it would be frowned upon if they were not upset. 

Techno went to sit up, but Wilbur stopped him.

"Stay for the night. It will be like old times. Like a sleepover."

Techno rolled his eyes and sat back down.

"This is going to lead to almost every night, isn't it?" Techno softly asked, but he didn't hear a response. Only soft snores. Techno laid a blanket over his brother's sleeping body and leaned against the beanbag himself, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep for the first time in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i know this is shorter than other chapters, I apologize  
> the next chapter will focus on The Dream Team and Tubbos backstories 
> 
> anyways this probably will no longer be updating every 4 days, but every week, sorry :(


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